An executive on the Atlanta Hawks believes the team got a “steal” in small forward Jabari Parker this summer.
The Hawks signed Parker to a two-year, $13 million deal in free agency.
“We needed someone on the second unit who could score,” the Hawks exec told Keith Smith of Real GM. “We went through periods last year where our second unit couldn’t put any points on the board. Jabari can do that for us. He was really good post-trade deadline last year. He looks healthy and ready to go. We think we got a steal.”
Jabari Parker played for the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards last season. The former No. 2 overall pick averaged 14.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 49.3 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from beyond the arc and 71.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Parker has always been a good scorer, and he will certainly be asked to provide microwave scoring off the bench for the Hawks. However, Parker has to play good defense if he wants to see consistent playing time. That was his main issue on the Bulls, as Chicago head coach Jim Boylen put Parker on the bench for not showing enough effort on the defensive end.
The Hawks will shoot for a playoff spot next season. Let's see if Parker can jump-start his career in Atlanta.
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