Milwaukee Bucks rising star Jabari Parker suffered a torn left ACL in the Bucks’ 106-88 loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday night, the team confirmed today following a MRI this morning.
The recovery process is estimated to take an entire year, meaning that Parker will miss the remainder of the 2016-2017 season, and part of the 2017-2018 season. This is the second time in Parker’s NBA career that he has sustained a torn left ACL.
Parker had to be carried off the floor by teammates Thon Maker and Michael Beasley with 6:34 remaining in the 3rd quarter after driving on Luke Babbitt and Wayne Ellington and making minimal contact with Babbitt before falling to the ground. The left knee did not make contact with Babbitt, but it did end up buckling.
With Parker set to become a restricted free agent at the end of next season, his contract situation with the Bucks will probably have more hurdles to jumped over than both sides obvious originally wanted. This will also be the case with Minnesota Timberwolves guard Zach LaVine, who tore his ACL last week.
The 21-year-old Parker, who will turn 22 next month, was averaging a career bests in points per game (20.1), rebounds per game (6.1), and assists per game (2.8) on 49% shooting from the field. Parker’s shooting from distance also took a major step forward, as he shot the three ball at a 35% clip this season.
It is unclear who will replace Parker in the starting lineup, but the options off Jason Kidd‘s bench include Mirza Teletovic, Michael Beasley, Thon Maker, and Spencer Hawes.
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