The 3rd Man In

Bucks select Parker with No. 2 selection

It is a new era of Milwaukee Bucks basketball with new owners Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry leading the way as they aim to return the franchise to winning ways. Their first move in the rebuilding process began Thursday evening, as the Bucks held the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft.

With the second overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft the Bucks selected forward Jabari Parker from Duke.

Parker, 19, comes to the NBA after playing just one season in college basketball where he took the nation by storm. In 35 games for the Blue Dukes, Parker averaged 19.1 points per game on 47.3 percent shooting from the field and 35.8 percent from three-point territory. He also grabbed nearly nine rebounds per game.

His outstanding season earned him First-Team All-American honors while claiming the USBWA National Freshman of the Year award.  He finished as the runner up for the John R. Wooden Award (College Player of the Year).

Leading up to the draft most people assumed the Bucks would select either Parker or Andrew Wiggins. After the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Wiggins No. 1, it was an easy choice to pick Parker, who has star potential written all over him.

Not only did the Bucks get their guy they have been eyeing all along, but also Parker ends up in a city that he has stated he wants to play in.

“I’ve got some comfort level with them, especially with them just telling me ‘We want you.’ I didn’t get really any answers from the Cavs, so I’m just going with what I’m certain with,” Parker said to the Washington Post. “I got just that answer, that fair assessment. They sat with me and said, ‘We’re going to go with you.’ ”

A Chicago native, Parker has now landed closer to his family. Although he has stated proximity to his home would not matter, it has to make him happy that he will only be a quick drive away from where he grew up.

The Bucks have finally found their franchise player, and this selection will generate a vast amount of excitement for an organization that has been searching for it for many years.

Parker wants to play in Milwaukee and the Bucks want him. This is a franchise-changing move, and Parker will be leading the Bucks into a positive and new direction for the years to come.

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