The Sidekick
To say Jabari Parker is in the midst of a breakout year is old hat at this point. Much has been written about his impact this season, but the fact is the Milwaukee Bucks have two legitimate Most Improved Player candidates on their roster – in Parker and Antentoukopo, the latter of whom is more deserving of down ballot MVP votes than Most Improved Player votes at this point of his career – speaks to the next level steps the duo have taken this year.
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Parker is the more traditional Most Improved Player candidate because what he’s done this season (upping his averages in all categories, including an impressive 20.7 ppg) is what has truly been the difference between last year’s team failure and this year’s playoff aspirations.
This is what the Bucks envisioned all along when GM John Hammond made him the number two pick of the 2014 draft out of Duke, but an ACL tear his rookie season and an underwhelming comeback year last season had many forgetting his otherworldly offensive skills and those pre-NBA Carmelo Anthony comparisons.
The recovered Parker, with two years of watching and studying, has become the perfect sidekick to Antetokounmpo’s all-around mastery.
Durant’s phenomenal 2010 was the necessary bounce that made the Thunder legitimate contenders and eventually brought him an MVP award, but none of it would have been possible without the growth of Russell Westbrook. His dashing array of offensive moves was the perfect foil for teams intent on doubling Durant and created the matchup nightmares that made them such a feared team.
In many regards, what Jabari Parker has done this year is as vital to the Greek Freak 2.0 that has been unleashed this season as Antetokounmpo’s own strides and offseason growth have been. It is Parker’s ability to create his own shot and score from most places on the floor that has forced teams to stop cheating on the Bucks’ freakish point guard and start playing more honest in accounting for Parker now.