Milwaukee Bucks Player of the Week Rankings
1. Jabari Parker
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
3. Michael Carter-Williams
Now that I have your attention again…
Jabari has finally made it to the mountain top. It took him a little while but since this essentially still his rookie season I am not disappointed with the wait. He is about 14 months removed from ACL surgery and he looks really good.
Parker played in both games and averaged 46.4 minutes, 25.5 points (52.5 percent shooting), 12.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 0.5 steals per game. He led the Bucks in scoring and rebounding this week. Additionally, he had the third highest field goal percentage and second highest plus/minus, at +7, on the team.
He collected a points-rebounds double-double in both games this week. He increased his double-double output on the season from two to four.
Even though he was shooting a high volume of shots, Jabari made over half of his attempts. Sure, he did attempt mostly dunks but he did occasionally take and make midrange jumpers too. It is no coincidence that as Jabari extended his range that his offensive output improved.
Parker was an animal on the boards. He led his team in rebounds for the week for the first time all season. His aggressiveness on the glass was a major reason why he was the Milwaukee Bucks player of the week.
There are only two NBA players who have averaged at least 25 points and at least 12 rebounds in their last two games: DeMarcus Cousins and Jabari Parker. With his athleticism, offensive ability, and size it is not crazy to think that Jabari could potentially average a double-double for one or multiple years in his career.
If he can become a 20 and 10 guy then the Bucks are going to be very happy. If he can become more than that, the Bucks could become contenders.
Not only did Parker’s traditional stats look good but his advanced stats looked nice too. Jabari had the second highest offensive rating on the team and a solid defensive rating too, with 100.2 and 92.6 respectively. Couple that with the fact that the Bucks outscored their opponents by seven points when he was on the court this week and you can see he made a real impact.
Regardless of whether Jabari can keep playing like this or not this was a great week for him and the Bucks. Seeing the future franchise cornerstone dominate at such a young age is very exciting. After all he has been through a lot in his short NBA career so it is a positive sign for him to earn the title of Milwaukee Bucks player of the week.
Next: Week 17 wrap up