- Admin
- #1
Jabari Parker suffers scary-looking left knee injury during Bucks' loss to Heat
On the same night they welcomed back Khris Middleton from the hamstring tear that had cost the ace swingman the first 50 games of the 2016-17 NBA season, the Milwaukee Bucks watched Jabari Parker go down in pain and in a heap after landing awkwardly on his left leg for the second time in three seasons.
[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball contest now | Free NBA Yahoo Cup entry]
With just under seven minutes remaining in the third quarter of Wednesday night’s matchup with the red-hot Miami Heat, Parker held the ball at the above the 3-point arc and went on-on-one with a drive against Miami forward Luke Babbitt. As Parker drove, he planted his left leg as he made body contact with Babbitt and tried to explode off it toward the rim, only to immediately lose his balance, yell, and fall to the ground.
The 21-year-old forward stayed down on the ground in pain, waiting for team medical personnel. He’d eventually be helped up, off the floor and back to the Milwaukee locker room by teammates Michael Beasley and Thon Maker. Shortly thereafter, the Bucks announced he was done for the night after scoring 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting with two assists, one block and one steal in 20 minutes of floor time.
It’s also, according to Brew Hoop, the same initial diagnosis Parker received in December of 2014, when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in that same left knee, an injury from which he needed nearly 11 months to return to the court.
The Bucks’ broadcast noted the similarities between the two injuries, which might not be something you want to watch:
Parker joked before Wednesday’s game that the return of Middleton, Milwaukee’s best all-around player last year, would “save the season.” Losing Parker could all but end it.
[Follow Ball Don’t Lie on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tumblr]
The bigger concern, though, is the longer term. A second serious left knee injury in less than three years could be devastating for Parker’s development and his prospects of growing into an All-Star-caliber player … and could give the Bucks an awful lot to think about, with Parker eligible for an extension of his rookie deal next summer.
Parker was reportedly “in good spirits” before leaving the BMO Harris Bradley Center, and sounded an optimistic note to his teammates:
Follow @YourManDevine
On the same night they welcomed back Khris Middleton from the hamstring tear that had cost the ace swingman the first 50 games of the 2016-17 NBA season, the Milwaukee Bucks watched Jabari Parker go down in pain and in a heap after landing awkwardly on his left leg for the second time in three seasons.
[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball contest now | Free NBA Yahoo Cup entry]
With just under seven minutes remaining in the third quarter of Wednesday night’s matchup with the red-hot Miami Heat, Parker held the ball at the above the 3-point arc and went on-on-one with a drive against Miami forward Luke Babbitt. As Parker drove, he planted his left leg as he made body contact with Babbitt and tried to explode off it toward the rim, only to immediately lose his balance, yell, and fall to the ground.
The 21-year-old forward stayed down on the ground in pain, waiting for team medical personnel. He’d eventually be helped up, off the floor and back to the Milwaukee locker room by teammates Michael Beasley and Thon Maker. Shortly thereafter, the Bucks announced he was done for the night after scoring 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting with two assists, one block and one steal in 20 minutes of floor time.
Jabari Parker suffered a sprained left knee and will not return tonight.
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) February 9, 2017
If you’re breathing a sigh of relief at the diagnosis of a sprain after watching that ugly injury, maybe hold off a sec:— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) February 9, 2017
Before anyone asks, calling it a sprain is boilerplate before a proper diagnosis. Take no hope from that term. https://t.co/JEj63eM69L
— Frank Madden (@fmaddenNBA) February 9, 2017
[Read & React Newsletter: 5 great stories from the Yahoo Sports blogs in your inbox every morning!]— Frank Madden (@fmaddenNBA) February 9, 2017
It’s also, according to Brew Hoop, the same initial diagnosis Parker received in December of 2014, when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in that same left knee, an injury from which he needed nearly 11 months to return to the court.
The Bucks’ broadcast noted the similarities between the two injuries, which might not be something you want to watch:
Bucks broadcast compares Jabari Parker's 2014 left ACL tear w/ his apparent left knee injury vs. Heat pic.twitter.com/3NK6lndXXi
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) February 9, 2017
In the short term, losing Parker would deal a significant blow to a Bucks team that has already struggled mightily of late, losing 11 of their last 13 — including Wednesday’s game against Miami — to fall to 22-29, 11th place in the East. He’s been their second-leading scorer all year, averaging 20.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 34.2 minutes per game on 48.9 percent shooting from the field and 36.7 percent shooting from 3-point land — all highs — while developing into the tremendous complement to All-Star starter Giannis Antetokounmpo that the Bucks hoped he’d become when they drafted him out of Duke with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft.— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) February 9, 2017
Parker joked before Wednesday’s game that the return of Middleton, Milwaukee’s best all-around player last year, would “save the season.” Losing Parker could all but end it.
[Follow Ball Don’t Lie on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tumblr]
The bigger concern, though, is the longer term. A second serious left knee injury in less than three years could be devastating for Parker’s development and his prospects of growing into an All-Star-caliber player … and could give the Bucks an awful lot to think about, with Parker eligible for an extension of his rookie deal next summer.
Parker was reportedly “in good spirits” before leaving the BMO Harris Bradley Center, and sounded an optimistic note to his teammates:
John Henson, on what Jabari Parker told him: "I hyperextended it. It's cool. I'm good."
— Gary D'Amato (@garydamatogolf) February 9, 2017
We’ll have to wait until Thursday to find out if that optimism was warranted.— Gary D'Amato (@garydamatogolf) February 9, 2017
Bucks will hold their breath overnight on Jabari Parker–MRI on Thursday.
— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) February 9, 2017
More NBA coverage:— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) February 9, 2017
– – – – – – –
Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!Follow @YourManDevine