Bulls Right to Bank on Jabari Parker Returning to Form
Though the Bulls committed to Zach LaVine long-term, they decided they needed to add another young scorer to the mix. Sure, Lauri Markkanen had a heck of a rookie season, but what if neither he, nor LaVine don’t have it on a particular night? That wouldn’t bode well for a team trying to improve on a 27–55 record in a weak Eastern Conference. So, they decided to give Chicago native Jabari Parker an audition as their starting small forward.
Parker, the best high school player in the country in his days at Simeon, agreed to a two-year, $40 million deal with the Bulls on Saturday. He became an unrestricted free agent after the Milwaukee Bucks rescinded his qualifying offer. Suddenly, the Bulls doing the same thing to David Nwaba made a lot more sense. But even that didn’t free up enough salary space for the Bulls’ liking, so they also released Paul Zipser and Julyan Stone.
Parker will make half a million dollars more than LaVine this upcoming season and will do so again the following season if the Bulls don’t opt out, which they can. That’s their insurance policy on a player who has twice torn his left ACL during his first four NBA seasons. The franchise already has a player recovering from that in LaVine, and the scars of Derrick Rose’s knee problems remain a fresh wound. It’s nothing short of amazing that the Bulls are getting involved with another player like this.
Though a somewhat risky move, it’s a necessary one. The Bulls needed scoring in the worst way, and they won’t get far in that area with a lot of players still learning the NBA game. As for the rookies, Wendell Carter Jr. is more expected to contribute on defense, and no one knows how well Chandler Hutchison’s game will carry over. Parker at least has a history of offensive consistency, averaging 15.3 points a game while shooting 49 percent from the field.
Before his second ACL tear in the 2016–17 season, Parker played some of the best basketball of his life. While starting 50 of 51 games, he averaged career highs of 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists. Going deeper, he had 30.1 points per 100 possessions, a 56.3 true shooting percentage and a 26.5 usage percentage. Though this was before his body betrayed him again, we can see what he’s capable of at the highest level if everything goes right.
Parker could represent a turning point in the rebuild, or he might become a regret the way Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo were except a lot younger. Either way, the Bulls identified a hole in their roster and paid a fair price for someone who can legitimately fill it. Of course, a lot of that depends on his health. And by a lot, I mean everything.
In the best-case scenario, Parker goes through a rebirth in his hometown, and the results get the Bulls back into the playoffs a lot sooner than anyone expected. On the flip side, he can’t find his old game, and the Bulls have another lottery pick. There’s not a whole lot to lose for this group by making this move. The alternative would have been to trust Nwaba or Denzel Valentine at the three, and the majority of fans would probably choose Parker instead.
It’s not the Parker everyone was hyped about before he even got to Duke, but maybe that’s for the better. This is the more seasoned Parker who’s worked to come back from his injuries stronger than ever. Wouldn’t you rather have someone who’s young and could score a lot before than a young player who can’t do that so well when completely healthy? That should go without saying.
The Bulls are entering the second season of a new era, and Parker is beginning one of his own. If both sides can help each other out, everyone wins. That will make for some happier times at the United Center over the next couple of years. The line for tickets starts back here, though we know people tend to fill it up anyway, which is good news for the Reinsdorfs and their investors.
