Washington Wizards 2018-2019 Player Grades: Jabari Parker

What Worked

Bench Scoring

Despite being one of the more exciting players for the Washington Wizards during the post-All-Star break season, Jabari Parker never started a game for the Wizards. It didn’t stop him, though, from throwing down highlight-reel dunk…

after highlight-reel dunk…

Very quickly Parker showed enough offensive ability to earn himself starting spot, and many fans were wondering why he wasn’t getting one as the season winded down and the playoff hopes died. But coming off the bench allowed Parker to showcase the offensive arsenal that earned him a $20 million per year deal from the Chicago Bulls against much lesser talent than he would have faced as a member of the starting unit.

Before Parker joined the Wizards, the offense often looked constipated when Bradley Beal went to the bench. Without a go-to scoring option, things screeched to a halt. Parker helped remedy that, to some degree, despite a much different style of play than Beal.

Running the Break

An unexpected surprise of Parker’s game when he came to Washington was his willingness to be a playmaker on the offensive end. His knack for passing was especially valuable in transition. At 6’8″, Parker has a unique skill set that allows him to grab a defensive rebound (With Washington he averaged 5.7 defensives and 7.2 total rebounds per game), run the floor in transition, and either make a great assist or finish it himself. He can be a one-man fastbreak and proved it night in and night out.

While Wizards fans have long enjoyed watching John Wall do it all by himself from one length of the floor to the other, it’s been a while since a forward with Parker’s size and skill was doing it in D.C.