Jabari Parker insists he considers the next several months of the NBA season he will miss recovering from a torn left ACL “a time for me to learn more.”

The Milwaukee Bucks rookie forward went down during a Dec. 15 96-94 win over the Phoenix Suns and several media outlets report doctors’ are waiting until swelling in the knee completely goes down before operating.

“One of the positive things is I get a brand-new knee,” said Parker. “You’ve got to look at longevity. Hopefully this will just be a short thing and I’ll be able to return for the career I want to have.”

Tuesday marked the first public comments the 19-year-old former Duke star has made since suffering the injury in a collision with P.J. Tucker. He already insists it has been a learning experience.

“I didn’t know it was this serious,” he said of the torn left ACL that has ended his rookie season. “Even though it happened, I wasn’t in agony. I just felt the twist and I thought it was hyperextended. It was just a clean [tear].”

While no timetable is known yet for Parker’s return, he seems convinced that he will make it all the way back.

“I want to stay optimistic,” he said. “I want to challenge myself a little bit more now that I’ve got to take it day by day. I will get a chance to look outside of the mistakes I used to make and hopefully get better. This is definitely a big opportunity for me.”

On an average of 30 minutes per game, Parker was averaging 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds for the Bucks. Before going down with his season-ending ACL injury, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 draft opened his season with back-to-back double-doubles and was named Eastern Conference rookie of the month October/November.

[Photo Credit: Keith Allison]