Jabari Parker out for the season with torn ACL
After suffering what was first reported as a left knee sprain against the Phoenix Suns on Monday, Milwaukee Bucks rookie and no. 2 overall draft pick Jabari Parker is confirmed to have torn his ACL and is expectedly out for the season, reports ESPN’s Marc Stein:
Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker is likely to miss the rest of his rookie season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee, league sources said.
Sources told ESPN.com that the Bucks are expected to announce Wednesday that Parker is lost for the season after suffering a tear — not a sprain, as was initially diagnosed — in the third quarter of the Bucks’ dramatic win Monday night in Phoenix.
Parker was drafted by the Bucks as a standout freshman out of Duke University. He was considered the most NBA-ready player of his draft class. Parker has been averaging 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in his rookie campaign and was at the top of the early Rookie of the Year discussion.
The rookie injury bug has hit hard for top ten draft picks. Parker now joins Joel Embiid, Aaron Gordon, and Julius Randle in that company of injured rookies.