Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker finally made his highly-anticipated debut against the New York Knicks on Friday night. Needless to say, he wasted no time in making his presence felt.

After starting the game off on the bench, Parker came in and almost immediately hit a baseline jumper over Knicks center Enes Kanter to give him his first bucket of the 2017-18 NBA season.

It has been a tumultuous recovery process for Parker, to say the least. Not only did he spend the last year nursing a double-ACL injury, but rumors began to swirl about his rift with former head coach Jason Kidd. Meanwhile, Parker's future with the Bucks remains uncertain after they opted not to pick up his fifth-year option.

Related NewsArticle continues below
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) controls the ball under pressure from Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) in the first quarter during game six of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena.
Thunder fans ready to trade Jalen Williams for Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez (11) blocks the shot of Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) during game two of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Warriors rumors: Bobby Marks names Giannis’ teammate as center target

Fortunately, he has a clean slate to work with now that Kidd is gone and he is back on the court. It goes without saying that this will be a big half of the season for Parker if he hopes to get paid this summer.

Despite his injuries, Parker is a proven scorer in this league. He averaged 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game during the 2016-17 NBA season. However, that was before the emergence of forward Giannis Antetokounmpo as one of the premier stars in the league.

That said, if he hopes to prove his worth to the Bucks and other potential teams in free agency this offseason, then he will need to find a way to coexist with the “Greek Freak” on a team that has been seriously revamped during his absence.