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Jabari Parker may not have been the big acquisition that Boston Celtics fans were expecting at the trade deadline or in the buyout market; the Beantown faithful had visions of Aaron Gordon and Andre Drummond dancing in their heads. However, the former No. 2 overall pick has nonetheless made a splash with his new squad.
In 32 minutes of play over his first two games, Parker has scored 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting (or 69.2 percent) from the floor. He has also corraled five boards and even has a blocked shot to his credit.
Although he was unable to get off the bench with the Sacramento Kings, it has become obvious that Parker still has something to offer in the Association. It makes one wonder what the strategy was with his former team, or why the Kings bothered to acquire him in the first place.
In any case, Sacramento’s loss is Boston’s gain. According to a prominent member of the Celtics’ family and a former NBA champion, it may be more accurately described as an outright theft by GM Danny Ainge.
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Kendrick Perkins Sounds Off on Jabari Parker
Former Celtic turned studio analyst Kendrick Perkins took to Twitter on Monday with one of his signature hot takes, offering his assessment of the Parker signing. Given the 26-year-old’s early success with the Celtics, though, Perkins wasn’t exactly going out on a limb this time.
“Jabari Parker was a hell of steal in the free agency market for the Celtics,” he tweeted. “Low Risk for High Reward!!! Carry on…”
Although time (and a larger sample size) will truly tell whether Perkins hit the mark on the acquisition, there is no denying the risk-reward ratio. As relayed by Keith Smith, Parker was signed for the veteran’s minimum for the remainder of the season. And only $100,000 is guaranteed in year two of the deal.
So, if something goes south, the Celtics can part ways with him without breaking the bank. On the other hand, if Parker can tap into some of the potential scouts saw in him coming out of Duke, Boston just got significantly better on the cheap.
Of course, Perkins is just the latest addition to Parker’s burgeoning fan club. After his 11-point debut against the Golden State Warriors over the weekend, Celtics guard Marcus Smart had no qualms about shouting out Parker’s performance.
“We were definitely ecstatic with the way that he came out, not really knowing the system and just playing basketball; being a basketball player,” Smart said.
Major Test Awaits the Celtics
Monday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls notwithstanding, the Celtics have played their best basketball of the season recently. The team has won eight of its last 10 games, with impressive victories over the Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers and New York Knicks to their credit.
However, a major test awaits on Thursday in the form of the Phoenix Suns. At 41-16, Devin Booker, Chris Paul and the rest of their crew currently have the second-best record in the NBA. And they’re less than 24 hours removed from an overtime win over the Bucks in Milwaukee.
Paul was particularly potent offensively in the game, scoring 22 points, dishing out 13 assists and adding seven rebounds for good measure.
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