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NBA Rookies vote Jabari Parker as favorite to win rookie of the year AND have the best career among 2014 class

By Frank Madden

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Nick Laham/NBAE/Getty

NBA.com: Bucks' Parker deemed most likely to stand out in 2014-15
Jabari Parker may not have been the first overall pick on draft night, but he probably would have been if it were up to his rookie peers.  Based on a survey of first year players at last weekend's rookie photo shoot, NBA.com's John Schuhmann reports that the league's rookies voted Parker as the overwhelming favorite to win rookie of the year (52.8%) and (more importantly) have the best career overall (45.9%):

Who will be the 2014-15 Rookie of the Year?

1: Jabari Parker, Milwaukee -- 52.8 percent
T-2: Doug McDermott, Chicago -- 8.3 percent
Andrew Wiggins, Cleveland -- 8.3 percent
T-4: Shabazz Napier, Miami -- 5.6 percent
Nerlens Noel, Philadelphia -- 5.6 percent
Elfrid Payton, Orlando -- 5.6 percent
Others receiving votes: Aaron Gordon, Orlando; Rodney Hood, Utah; Julius Randle, L.A. Lakers; Marcus Smart, Boston; T.J. Warren, Phoenix
Last year: C.J. McCollum & Victor Oladipo -- 24.2 percent

Worth noting: "He has a complete overall game," one rookie said of Parker. "And he's always in an attack mind set." Nerlens Noel topped our Rookie Ladder at the conclusion of Summer League, but might not have been on most of the rookies' minds on Sunday, because he wasn't in their Draft class or at the Photo Shoot.

Which rookie will have the best career?

1: Jabari Parker, Milwaukee -- 45.9 percent
2: Doug McDermott, Chicago -- 13.5 percent
3: T.J. Warren, Phoenix -- 8.1 percent
T-4: Zach LaVine, Minnesota -- 5.4 percent
Andrew Wiggins, Cleveland -- 5.4 percent
Others receiving votes: Kyle Anderson, San Antonio; Cleanthony Early, New York; Joel Embiid, Philadelphia; Gary Harris, Denver; Rodney Hood, Utah; Mitch McGary, Oklahoma City; Johnny O'Bryant, Milwaukee; Noah Vonleh, Charlotte
Last year: Victor Oladipo & Kelly Olynyk -- 18.2 percent

And yes, if you're a Bucks fan you're allowed to get at least a little excited by this. Since 2007, previous top vote-getters in the ROY/best career categories include Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, and John Wall, so if Jabari can keep up with historical precedent we should be pretty happy. Besides, it's August and there's no better time to be optimistic than now, right?

Bucksketball: The Curious Case of O.J. Mayo
Nick Whalen spent a lot of time thinking about the Bucks' least valuable trade asset, so the least you can do is check out his exquisitely researched work.

Bucksketball: What is TIF and how could it be used to fund an arena in Milwaukee?
Anyone following the great arena debate has heard the term "TIF" by now, but what exactly is a tax incremental financing district? Preston Schmitt is once again here to help.

Hardwood Paroxysm: Jabari does Jay-Z at rookie photo shoot
It is what it says it is.

JSOnline: O'Bryant gains confidence from summer league stint
I'll be honest: I'm not sure if or how 36th overall pick Johnny O'Bryant fits into the Bucks' near-term rotation. He might already have the best post game of any Bucks' big, but he also has plenty of competition for minutes, including from much higher-profile guys like Parker, John Henson, and Ersan Ilyasova (if he's still around). Still, JOB3 showed some flashes in Vegas, and he tells the Journal-Sentinel that he learned something too.

"It was just getting used to the NBA-style offense we ran, getting used to the different play clock and the NBA rules," O'Bryant said Friday. "But overall it was a fun experience for me."

O'Bryant said he hopes to have a playing weight of 250 to 255 pounds during the regular season and "just be a load down there."

Bucks.com: Bucks unveil (slightly) new jerseys
This week the Bucks officially unveiled the tweaked jerseys we first discussed three weeks ago, the same jerseys that Parker, O'Bryant and Damien Inglis wore at last weekend's rookie photo shoot. The main change: the bookended "BuckS" on the front is now all the same sized font (ie "BUCKS"), which is both subtle and a clear improvement in my book.

Meanwhile, on Twitter...

Giannis met Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras (again).

Word from our friend Alex Gkoussis is that the final Greece roster for the FIBA World Cup will be announced August 16, though they start exhibition play this weekend in France with three games in as many days starting Friday vs. Serbia.

Otherwise, most of the Bucks' social media stuff has been State Fair-oriented, as John Henson and Brandon Knight have been among the Bucks players and staff putting in appearances over the past week.

My personal favorite: Henson sampling all the most random foods the State Fair has to offer. And one last thing: maybe John was having a bit too much fun at games last year...

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