For months, the recurring answer to inquiries about Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker's potential return from a torn left anterior cruciate ligament has been a general one. The response, regardless of whom you asked, almost always boiled down to the same conclusion — sometime in February.
Before Wednesday night's game against the Orlando Magic, Bucks coach Jason Kidd narrowed down the timeline a bit.
“He’s doing great," Kidd said. "Again, he’s doing everything; he’s practicing, he’s participating with the Herd. So, he’s getting a lot of basketball under his belt. Again, I think we’re about a month away from having him back.”
So is Kidd expecting Parker to return in mid-February, before the NBA All-Star Game break?
“Yeah, I think it’s always been that, I think, that week before the all-star break.”
Parker underwent his ACL surgery on Feb. 14, 2017, after tearing that ligament — for the second time in his career — during a Feb. 8 game against the Houston Rockets. His oft-referenced timeline called for him to be out about a year.
The Bucks play a pair of home games heading into all-star weekend, hosting the Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 13 and Denver Nuggets on Feb. 15.