Jabari Parker’s stint with the Chicago Bulls seems to be over, though the 23-year-old forward said he wishes things could have been different for him.
The Chicago native has been out of the Bulls’ rotation for some time now, and head coach Jim Boylen has continuously reiterated that Jabari Parker must play hard and be locked-in on all facets if he wants to get a crack at the rotation again.
However, after missing the team’s last seven games, it appears that Parker is gone and would be dealt before the February trade deadline.
With all things that happened, though, Parker made it known that he wished the Bulls could have given him more chance and opportunity to prove himself.
“Even when I was in Milwaukee, they knew what type of player I was,” Parker told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. “They kind of treated me accordingly. It’s just different. I’ve been consistent. Even in the beginning, it wasn’t easy, right? It wasn’t like a fair chance. They took me out of the lineup. I stayed professional. I didn’t pout. I kept going.”
“And then as I started getting better and better, it ended right there. It was unfortunate because I felt I was improving. And I just wish I had a little bit more chance.”
Parker has played in 29 games for the Bulls so far, averaging 15.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists. While those numbers aren’t bad, he hasn’t been efficient at all, shooting only 29.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Not to mention that Parker has been a liability on the defensive end, an aspect of his game that the Bulls have emphasized that he must work on.
To be fair with Parker, the Bulls could have chosen to give him the whole season to prove himself. Besides, it’s a rebuilding year for the team after firing head coach Fred Holberg early in the season.
Parker has already had two ACL surgeries in his young career and was never the same again since the second procedure. Nonetheless, after investing so much on the former Milwaukee Bucks forward, they could have waited for him and see how things go.
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