The time is here. Jabari Parker will be playing for the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday evening against the New York Knicks. They’ll finally get to see they look like as a fully loaded unit with Parker, Giannis, Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe. His Bucks teammates are fired up to see him return to the court, and we’ll see what exactly he can do on the court. Will this time be a little different than the first knee injury?

It would not surprise me to see Parker more aggressive from the start. If you remember last time around, it took Parker a few months to really be comfortable with his body on the court, and a part of me wonders if that was part Jason Kidd, part knee. Like the other players on this roster, Jabari will get to play without Kidd, and that might be the biggest difference maker for him. We have no idea how long it’s been, but Kidd seemed to be relatively hard on the former Duke standout. If he gives the Bucks anywhere from eight to 14 points per game, it’s a great success and Milwaukee is probably winning a bunch of games.

Joe Prunty has the interesting task of deciding how to put Jabari into the rotation. Does he start him right off the back with a lineup that looks like? Bledsoe-Middleton-Giannis-Parker-Henson? Or is he the first guy off the bench for now, and Milwaukee doesn’t ruin any flow for him early on. If Bledsoe were to miss on Friday, it would be easier to put him in the starting lineup. I feel like Prunty will try to get Parker in with different bodies especially new faces like Bledsoe and Sterling Brown. It’s going to be a learning experience, and it might take a few weeks to sort things out.

Good to have Jabari back

Charlie.