4 things to know about newly acquired Celtics forward Jabari Parker

4 things to know about newly acquired Celtics forward Jabari Parker

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Jabari Parker has experienced almost every high and low throughout his basketball career.

The former Duke University star, who was once a strong prospect from Chicago, introduced the NBA draft no. 2 and there was expected to be a transformation player. He never reached the perch, and many predicted he would do so, as injuries kept him returning throughout, but he did recover as a solid role player.

The 6-foot 8, 245-pound forward has played for five NBA teams in seven seasons. He recently appeared with the Sacramento Kings last year in just six games and three this season. His illustrious career has now brought him to Boston, where he will want to give the Celtics a point off the bench while they are ready for another playoff game.

Parker signs a two-year deal, according to Shams Charania, and the Celtics consequently relinquished Moe Wagner. Although Parker did not become the superior player, many thought he would do so, the 26-year-old man was always able to put the ball healthy in the basket.

Here’s what to know about him.

He is a proven scorer, but his production has been declining lately.

Every time he was on the track and when he had an opportunity, Parker was a reliable scorer.

He averaged 14.8 points per game during his career while shooting 49.3 percent from the field. In 2016-’17, he set a career high of 20.1 points per night in 51 games for the Milwaukee Bucks.

His points average dropped to 12.6 the following year, hovered around 14 or 15 in subsequent seasons, and then dropped to 8.5 with the Kings and eventually 2.7 when he was injured and eventually fell out of rotation.

Parker can score at all three levels, but he thrives most as a midfielder. He has shot more than 50 percent from inside the arc each year of his career, while a career-high 32.3 percent.

With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown firmly established as the Celtics’ leading scorers, Parker has a chance to appear alongside Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier and Marcus Smart as a secondary scorer. There is a lot of uncertainty regarding Parker’s current skill, and his role has yet to be seen, but he and Fournier could potentially deliver the point of the bench that the Celtics clearly lack before the deadline.

He tore his ACL twice early in his career.

Parker was named the newcomer to the Eastern Conference in October and November 2014, but a torn ACL in December suddenly derailed a promising start to his career.

He regained momentum, and was the Bucks’ second leading scorer behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. Then he suffered his second ACL tear in the same knee in just his third season.

“I do not find it very different,” Parker said at the time. “… The only difference is that I know what I’m going through. From there, the second time is a charm. ‘

He said in a Steve Aschburner story on NBA.com in 2017 that there is nothing that can stop him.

“People view it as negative. “They do not really consider it a blessing,” Parker said. ‘But what you do, you create your own story. Many people walk around as if they have not been affected. And if they then get into trouble, they do not know how to deal with it, because it is the first time in their life. ‘

Parker remained optimistic, but he never quite got back on track with the Bucks. He then joins his hometown of the Chicago Bulls in the 2018-19 season, but the situation also did not clear up as he had hoped, as he dropped out of the rotation and started just 17 games.

He played 25 games with the Washington Wizards in 2018-’19, 32 with the Atlanta Hawks in 2019-’20 and has barely seen any action with the Kings.

His style should match the way the Celtics have played lately.

Parker was “injured and out of shape” when he arrived in Sacramento, according to Kings beat writer Jason Jones, via Jared Weiss of The Athletic. He then tested positive for COVID-19 in June and missed time.

A back injury and personal reasons kept him away from the team this season, so he stayed on the bench as soon as he returned.

Although this season was essentially invalid for Parker, he only showed last year that he still has something left as a goal scorer. He scored 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers in August and also scored double figures against the New Orleans Pelicans and Houston Rockets.

With the ball in Brown, Tatum and Walker’s hands, Parker does not have to create his own hold with the Celtics too often. During their five-game winning streak, the Celtics averaged 117.6 points and 27.4 assists per game and the ball moves perhaps the best they have had all season. Their depth was fully displayed as teams struggled to match up with Tatum and Brown and keep up with their other playmakers at the same time.

Parker will not be expected to shake things up or change in any way. Instead, he has the chance to hit jumpers and give a lift when Brown or Tatum is on the bench. His role may not be too important every game, but his offensive arsenal will always be there for coach Brad Stevens to turn to if the Celtics need a spark.

This is a low risk for the Celtics.

It feels like Parker exists forever, but that’s because he was pushed into the national spotlight when he led Simeon Career Academy to four straight championships and was named the national player of the year as a high school senior.

He was then named an All-American All-American team by Duke, and was drafted ahead of Joel Embiid, Smart, Julius Randle and Zach LaVine, and is expected to become an NBA star. However, the ACL tears put him back and prevented him from reaching that status.

The consensus is that this is a low risk action for the Celtics. If Parker comes in and plays sporadically and looks like the player he has at the Kings, there’s no harm, and that’s what it’s. If he looks like the player he was early in his career, the Celtics may have gotten a steal side.

Parker is only 26 and he still has a lot to prove in a team that wants to re-establish itself as a rival of the Eastern Conference.

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