2014 Draft

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McKinney  on Parker
  Just in case  your employer did not encourage you to forgo work and then send you to Las  Vegas and buy tickets for you to watch the sold-out, standing-room-only Summer  League game between the Bucks and Cavaliers last Friday. (Or in case you were  one of the hundreds of people waiting in line who  were turned away because the gymnasium was at capacity.)

In case you have  missed the first Summer League game on television. Or any of the Summer League  games.

In case you  missed any of Parker’s Duke games last year. Or in case you didn’t get the  invite to the Kevin Durant Skills Academy Camp or the McDonald’s All-American  Game the year before. Or to the draft combine in Chicago this season. Or the  pre-draft workout in Milwaukee. In case you have not watched all of Parker’s games  on film. Once or twice, at least.

In these  cases or not, Billy McKinney has a story to tell. McKinney is the Director of  Scouting for the Bucks.

As the July tradition  goes, McKinney recently chatted with me about the newest Bucks rookies. (Last year, the first thing McKinney told me  when I asked  about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s strengths: “Being able to play  multiple positions. He is a player, with his size, who could play point guard,  shooting guard possibly, and small forward.” Update:  Jason Kidd is going to give Giannis minutes at the point this season.)

This time it  was a telephone call to McKinney, 10 minutes after the Bucks/Cavaliers Summer  League showdown. Hard to comprehend that “showdown” is the word that was chosen  for this paragraph, but here we are. And there McKinney was, trying to find a place  so generously to take my call at the drumming COX Pavilion on a Friday night in  Vegas. Thanks, Billy.

Parker will  be in Milwaukee soon. If you are like me, you probably won’t want to miss him anymore.   

What are  Jabari’s strengths right now? How can he contribute as a rookie?

He is a  polished player, in that right now he has not played an NBA game, but his skill  set, the things he can do in terms of scoring the basketball, making shots from  the perimeter, passing the ball. Those skills will allow him to be on the  floor. And then he can get to the basket and create free throw attempts, he  draws fouls. He rebounds the ball well. He has some things he needs to work on.  But he has a very good basketball instinct.

A lot of  people have called Jabari NBA-ready, but many of those same people also have  said he does not have as high of a ceiling as Andrew Wiggins. How good do you  think Jabari can be in, say, five years?

I disagree  with that (Wiggins having a higher ceiling than Parker), because he (Parker)  has such a great baseline to start with. And he is the kind of player, and the  kind of person, who is going to work to improve every facet of his game. So  when I hear that, and I have heard people say that in five years Wiggins is  going to be a better player and that he has a bigger upside, I disagree with it  to the point that Jabari still has a lot of growth in his game. A tremendous  amount.

In what  areas does Jabari need to improve?

I think he is  going to become a better shooter, a better perimeter shooter. He is going to  become a better free throw shooter. He has made tremendous improvement in his  shooting technique since the end of the season. And those are things that will  make him very difficult to defend. Because he can play inside, he can play  outside.

Defensively,  he put up solid block (1.6 per 40 minutes) and steal (1.4 per 40 minutes)  numbers at Duke, but he does not have a great reputation as a big-time defender.  Does he need to improve his man-to-man defense or team/help defense more?  Perimeter or post defense?

When people  talk about his defense, one thing they have to remember is that he played  center for Duke. They were an undersized club, so he was forced to defend  bigger players. That is an area where he will get better. I have seen him  defend players on the perimeter, which he will get better at, and he will get  better at his post defense. But most of his entire freshman year he was playing  out of position defensively.

On draft  night, John Hammond said that he thinks  Parker can play two positions offensively. Jason Kidd played Paul  Pierce (whom many have compared to Parker) at power forward at times last  season. What do you project as Parker’s ideal NBA position offensively and  defensively?

I don’t know  if I would put it as ideally, but at 6-9 and 245, here is a guy who can score  around the post. He can cause a lot of issues for defenders. If he is defended  by a smaller player, he can take that defender in the post. If he is defended  by a player who is bigger, then he can step off the post and face the player and  face-up and make that eight-to-ten foot shot. So he has got to extend that area  where he is going to be able to do things well offensively. And as we saw in  this game (first Summer League game versus Cleveland), he can create his shot  going to the basket off the dribble. So he is going to continue to improve  greatly in all of those areas as he continues to learn the nuances of the NBA.

I think like  most of our players he is a multi-positional player. In some spots he will be  able to play the four on offense and defense. So that is one of the great  things about looking at his game and the value he adds to our roster. He will  be able to play both of those positions (three and four).

Parker led  the ACC in rebounding as a freshman. Do you consider defensive rebounding as  part of defense when evaluating a player? And do you think Parker will be a  strong rebounder in the NBA?

I think he  will be a really good rebounder, because he is more athletic than people think.  He is fundamentally sound, which enables him to get a lot of defensive  rebounds. He is not just blocking out. He is doing the small things that help  him get the ball. He can also range rebound, meaning he can rebound outside of  his area.

He does  not have the raw athleticism of someone like Andrew Wiggins, but Parker  dunked the ball almost twice as often as Wiggins as freshmen. How do you project his  ability to get to the basket and the free throw line in the NBA?

If you look  at his free throw rate in college, he got to the free throw line quite a bit.  When you talk about athleticism, I don’t think there are too many people who  are in the NBA currently who are as good of athletes as Wiggins. But I would  say that Jabari is an above-average athlete, and he is deceptive with his  athletic ability.

You  mentioned him operating in the post. Parker attempted (and made) a lot of  difficult shots in college, including some long twos. Will he need to refine  his shot selection?

Most players  do. And he made a couple of tough shots tonight. That will be part of the  learning process for him, learning the difference between a good shot and a  tough shot. When you look at Duke, he was the primary scorer. So he had to take  some tough shots. But the thing that he does really well, is that he is  learning and willing to pass out of the double team in the low post.

Offensively,  would you most often like to see him in the post, the mid-range, or on the  perimeter?

He is a  versatile scorer. With someone like Jabari, you do not limit him to any one  spot, because he can do well in all of those places offensively. And he will  get better as time goes on, as he gets more experience.

He was  comfortable grabbing rebounds and then taking the ball down court himself in  transition at Duke. We saw Giannis Antetokounmpo do the same thing as a rookie  at times. Do you think Parker should be encouraged to do that as a rookie?

Jason  (Kidd) has talked to him (Parker) about our offensive philosophy a little bit,  and yes, that is something Jabari is going to be able to do. And maybe in  moderation, but he has that skill set to do it.

The Bucks  ranked 24th in pace last season. Does Parker fit better in a fast-paced offense  or more methodical offense? Open court or half court?

Jabari  is the kind of player who can play well in any system. To be an effective  player in the NBA, you have to be able to play both ways, and that is something  he will be able to do.

Parker has  been listed from 225 to 254 pounds. You said before the draft that he looked  fantastic from a physical standpoint. Any thoughts on an ideal weight range for  adapting to the NBA?

What  he is learning right now, coming off that injury he had in his senior year of  high school (foot injury in 2012), is how to get into great shape. When we had  him at the draft combine he was like 245. When he was at Duke he was about 245.  And when I talked to a few of his coaches at Duke, they felt like maybe his  optimal playing weight might be in the 235 to 245 range. He is a big man. Until  you stand next to him, you don’t realize how big he is.

Will  Parker be working with anyone in particular from the Bucks staff to develop his  body and/or game as a rookie?

Of course. He  will work with our strength and conditioning coach Robert Hackett. Chris  McKenzie (director of physical therapy) will work on his body mechanics. We  will have a range of people working with him in terms of getting him into the  best playing shape. He (Parker) doesn’t eat red meat. He watches his weight, he  watches his diet. And these are all things he will continue to refine.

He just  matched up with Wiggins in Milwaukee’s first Summer League game. What are the  Do’s and Don’ts of Summer League for Parker?

What we saw  tonight is that he played hard. And I think because of the build-up to the game  with Parker and Wiggins, that maybe at times he (Parker) tried to do a little  too much. But the one thing that I was impressed with our team and Jabari is  that they usually played within themselves and they played very hard. This is a  learning experience. You want the players to learn from their mistakes. Jabari  went to the free throw line 11 times (against Cleveland) and he made 7-of-11.  And I know that he wants 9-of-11 or 10-of-11 to take advantage of those free  looks.

How would  you define a successful first season for Parker?

Staying  healthy. We have had a lot of health issues recently. It is not for me to say  that we want him to be Rookie of the Year. There are a lot of things that we  would like to happen. Getting time on the court and experience is going to help  him define his level of success, not only this year but well into the future.

This is  one of my standard questions for you. Any player comparisons for Jabari going  into this draft? What current or former NBA players do you feel had similar  games to Parker?

This time, I  can’t say that I had a specific player in mind.

mckinney-talks-parker

McKinney Talks Parker

Jabari Parker, on the night of  June 26, 2014, became the most high-profile draft selection made by the  Milwaukee Bucks since 1994, when they chose Glenn Robinson with the first  overall pick.

“The Big Dog” went on to become  the franchise’s second-leading all-time scorer.

Only time will tell where  Parker figures into the big picture of Bucks history – and how he rates with  other NBA players who were selected second overall.

Among the all-time greats who  were chosen second overall before the inception of the NBA Draft Lottery in  1985 were Jerry West by the Minneapolis Lakers in 1960, Dave Bing by the  Detroit Pistons in 1966, Earl Monroe by the Baltimore Bullets in 1967, Bob  McAdoo by the Buffalo Braves in 1972, Isiah Thomas by the Pistons in 1981 and  Terry Cummings (a member of the Bucks’ 40th  Anniversary Team) by the San Diego Clippers in 1982.

West played 14 seasons for the  Minneapolis and Los Angeles Lakers and ranks 17th on the league’s all-time  scoring list with 25,192 career points. He was named Most Valuable Player of  the NBA Finals in 1969 (as a member of the losing team) and helped lead the  Lakers to the NBA title in 1972. He was a 14-time NBA All-Star and was inducted  into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.

Bing, who scored 18,327 career  points, was an NBA All-Star seven times, making six appearances as a Piston and  one as a Washington Bullet before closing out his career with the Boston  Celtics. He garnered 18,327 career points and has had his uniform number  retired by both the Pistons and his alma mater, Syracuse University. He entered  the Hall of Fame in 1990.

Monroe, the 1968 NBA Rookie of  the Year, earned NBA All-Star status three times as a Baltimore Bullet and  twice as a New York Knick, accumulated 17,474 career points and helped the  Knicks capture the NBA championship in 1973. He became a Hall-of-Famer in 1990.

McAdoo was named 1973 NBA  Rookie of the Year and earned five consecutive NBA All-Star berths spanning  1974-78. He won three successive NBA scoring titles spanning 1974 through 1976  and was chosen the league MVP in 1975. Over 14 seasons with seven different NBA  teams, McAdoo scored 18,787 points, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame  in 2000.

Thomas was an NBA All-Rookie  First Team selection in 1982 and went on to achieve 12 NBA All-Star selections.  Playing all of his 13 seasons with Detroit, Thomas played in 12 consecutive NBA  All-Star Games spanning 1982-93. He was the starting point guard on Detroit’s  1989 and 1990 NBA title teams and totaled 18,822 points and 9,061 assists  during his career joining the Hall-of-Fame ranks in 2000.

Cummings averaged 23.7 points  and 10.6 rebounds in his debut season as a pro and was named NBA Rookie of the  Year in 1983. He played one more season for the Clippers before being traded to  the Bucks in 1984, and he represented Milwaukee in the NBA All-Star Game in  1985 and 1989. Cummings played for the Bucks from 1984-89 and during the  1995-96 campaign and ranks 10th  on the franchise’s all-time scoring list with 9,290 points. He also played for  San Antonio, Seattle, Philadelphia, New York and Golden State and finished his  NBA career with 19.460 points.

West, Bing, Monroe and Thomas  were named to the NBA’s 50th  Anniversary Team in 1996.

Some of those drafted No. 2  overall prior to 1985 whose NBA careers didn’t even approach those of their  contemporaries were Tom Stith by the New York Knicks in 1961, Bill Buntin by  the Pistons in 1965, Neal Walk by the Phoenix Suns in 1969 (the year in which  the Bucks drafted Lew Alcindor, later to become known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar)  and Marvin Barnes by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1974.

Since the Lottery was  implemented, the most impactful players taken with the No. 2 choice include  Gary Payton by the Seattle Super Sonics in 1990, Alonzo Mourning by the  Charlotte Hornets in 1992, Jason Kidd by the Dallas Mavericks in 1994, LaMarcus  Aldridge by the Chicago Bulls in 2006 and Kevin Durant by the Super Sonics in  2007.

Among those No. 2 selections  since 1985 whose careers have paled in comparison were Shawn Bradley by the  Philadelphia 76ers in 1993, Stromile Swift by the Vancouver Grizzlies in 2000,  Darko Milicic by the Detroit Pistons in 2003 and Hasheem Thabeet by the Memphis  Grizzlies in 2009.

Len Bias, taken by the Boston  Celtics with the second pick in 1986, passed away before he played an NBA game,  while Jay Williams, chosen by the Chicago Bulls at that position in 2002,  played only one season before severe injuries he sustained in a motorcycle  crash ended his NBA career.

This year marked the first time  ever that the Bucks have made the No. 2 overall draft pick, so Jabari Parker is  already in a class by himself in at least one respect.

next-dynamic-deuce

Next Dynamic Deuce?

The day was  March 15, 1995 and two human beings 185.2 miles apart – both of them located  just a bit below Milwaukee on the map – had significant evenings in the course  of Milwaukee Bucks history.

The first was  a young man by the name of Todd Fitzgerald Day.

Mr. Day had  been drafted three years earlier with the #8 overall pick by the Bucks in the  1992 NBA Draft, to the chagrin of at least one person.

He was a  McDonald's All-American and a prodigious collegiate scorer (we are talking,  22.7 per game as a senior) at a big program, when Arkansas was a big program.

On this  night, he was about to score arguably the best game of his pro career excluding  NBA Jam, he was about to score 34 points, and soon he was about to finish his  last full season with the Bucks. A full season full of 82 games. 

It was his Day,  obviously...all of that. But it wasn't Milwaukee's night, it rarely was, as  people who grew up watching those late green-on-green jerseys know. Reggie  Miller went for 40 points on all of 12 shots, and the Bucks fell to 24-40 on  the season… a season when baseball players were on strike and the Bucks had the  city all to their own, could have had the city all to their own.

Less than a  month into the next season, Day was unceremoniously traded, the details are not  important, and he was out of the league five years later.

When Day was  drafted by the Bucks back in 1992, cameras picked up his reaction. The footage  was not broadcast until years and years later, but it was a reaction of  disappointment. "Oh man. Milwaukee. Damn."

On the same  day that Day scored his Bucks-best 34 points in Indianapolis on March 15, 1995...someone smaller who grew somewhat bigger was born.

Parker went  on to become a McDonald's All-American at Simeon High School in Chicago. Sports  Illustrated dubbed Parker "The Best High  School Basketball Player Since LeBron James" in a cover story. Before that,  he scrimmaged as a fifth-grader with Derrick Rose when Rose was on the way to leading  Parker's future high school team to state titles.

In the days  leading up to the draft, Parker dropped some increasingly forward hints that  the Bucks were interested in him, that he was interested in the Bucks.
Two days  before the draft, Parker predicted that he would be picked by the Bucks at #2.

Parker joins  what new co-owner Marc Lasry fondly has called the best U-23 team in the NBA.  Parker, 19. Antetokounmpo, 19. Henson, 23. Middleton, 22. Knight, 22. And so  on.

After the  Bucks made him the #2 pick, Parker offered some bold words, and not necessarily  surprising words, considering the emotion of draft night swirling around him.  But they felt genuine, particularly based on his words before the draft.

And so now we  have a new meaning, a new intonation, a new optimism, when we say:

2014 Draft

McKinney Talks Parker

Next Dynamic Deuce?

Day and The Night

Jabari Parker Photoshoot

Jabari Parker is introduced at the BMO Harris Bank Stage at Summerfest

Photos of Jabari at Summerfest

Jabari Parker's Introductory Press Conference at the Milwaukee Public Market

Bio: Johnny O'Bryant