The NBA offseason continues to pile up with headlines and now Jabari Parker is in the news. Just one day after the NBA Draft, this summer’s free agency class is set to get bigger. The Washington Wizards are reportedly going to decline Parker’s team option. As a result, he will now become an unrestricted free agent towards the end of June 2019. Parker originally started this past season as a member of the Chicago Bulls but was then traded to the Washington Wizards around the trade deadline. It will be interesting to see what happens to the 6’8 power forward now.
Jabari Parker Will Test Free Agency
What Happened to Jabari Parker?
Once upon a time, Jabari Parker was one of the most highly anticipated players coming out of college. He was in the same draft class as Andrew Wiggins and both were thought to be the next LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony in some ways. That obviously has not been the case for either one of them. However, much of Parker’s struggles have been due to injuries in his career.
In his rookie year with the Milwaukee Bucks, Jabari Parker’s promising season got cut short due to an ACL injury. As a result, Parker would only play 25 games in his rookie year and never be the same player he was expected to be as an NBA hooper. In the 2016-17 season, he only played 51 games. The following season, Parker would only play 31 total games, though he did show shades of potential in those games. He has now played for three different teams while averaging 15.1 points per game on 49.1 percent shooting. He can still be a beneficial wing for a team, he just needs to find some consistency.
What’s Next for Jabari Parker?
As alluded to already, Parker still has a place in this league. Unfortunately for him, it is only as a role player after being plagued with injuries for his whole career. Both the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards are in rebuild mode right now. Sadly, he was a casualty of those processes. Parker should not be discouraged though. A team like the Memphis Grizzlies or the Cleveland Cavaliers could still use a player like him. Or, the Los Angeles Lakers could even use him. After all, LeBron James does thrive when he has solid jump shooters surrounding him. Remember Parker is a solid shooter which we will get to in a minute.
Not only would he be a great role player on a team, but he could also still be a solid mentor for young players. It is not like he has been a terrible player in this league, he simply just did not live up to his ceiling. That is not entirely his fault either. A lot of that can be attributed to injuries. He is a career 33.7 percent three-point shooter and did have a solid 2017-18 campaign where he shot 38 percent from beyond the arc. Anyone who can knock the long-range shot down effectively will always have a place in today’s league. Hopefully, we will see Jabari Parker receive a fair deal somewhere on a team where he can be effective and help said team succeed at the same time.
Main Photo:
GREEN BAY, WI – SEPTEMBER 14: Milwaukee Bucks player Jabari Parker puts on a “Cheese Head” hat during the game between the Green Bay Packers and the New York Jets at Lambeau Field on September 14, 2014 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Al Pereira/New York Jets/Getty Images)
