It hasn’t been smooth sailing for Chandler Parsons this season, but things are trending upward as of late. Following off-season knee surgery, Parsons was doubtful to even play early on in the season. Despite seeing action in just the third game of the season, Rick Carlisle and the Mavericks organization had him on limited minutes for quite some time. He didn’t pass the 20 minute mark until midway through November, and still hasn’t managed to play in back-to-back games this season. During his brief stints up to this point, his numbers are down dramatically from what we typically expect from Parsons.
Could it be the confidence in the knee? Is it that his conditioning isn’t where it needs to be just yet? Is he still trying to find his place in a rotation of new players from last season? While MFFL’s everywhere haven’t been too kind to Parsons on Social Media this season, there may be light at the end of the tunnel.
“I feel now that it’s going to be the All-Star break before he really has his legs under him. There are going to be some ups and downs, but we’re seeing a lot more ups than downs.”
To me, it’s simple. When Parsons is playing aggressive and attacking the basket, it opens up his confidence on the perimeter. When his shot has some arc to it, he can be flat out deadly, but often times it appears that there is very little trajectory on his jumper, which leads to plenty of missed shots. This could be a matter of his conditioning, as it still appears that he is winded at times.
“I liked his aggression (in New Orleans),” Carlisle said. “It’s another step along the way. I said it’s probably going to be late December, early January before you can start keeping stats on him with any accuracy because of the comeback and rehab and conditioning.”
His “breakout” stretch started in New Orleans. His first four baskets all came inside the paint. Parsons can sometimes overuse that pump fake, but when he is using it the right way, it is deadly. I find myself not knowing if he is shooting or pump faking every single time. Against the Pelicans, he used it on Antonio Davis multiple times early, which allowed him to get into a nice scoring rhythm. He went 0-5 from beyond the arc, but he was able to show what he can do when his outside jumper isn’t going down. Opposing defenses will have to honor his shooting ability, which will make it crucial for him to find ways to attack the basket.
Two games later, Parsons showed the entire repertoire, attacking the basket at will and showing off his outside range in a brutal loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He started off early getting to the basket, and then started launching form the perimeter. He would finish the night with 25 points on 10-14 shooting, including 3-6 from deep.
Last night, Parsons once again showed what he can do when he has everything working. He had 16 points, 12 of those coming from beyond the arc. While it’s clear that his conditioning isn’t quite there yet, it’s just as clear that this is a process that is starting to produce some results, albeit in a somewhat steady process:
The Road Ahead
Dirk Nowitzki has been the steady force behind the offensive attack for the Mavericks all season. The “all-star” play by Zaza Pachulia has been remarkable as he has been able to pick up right where Tyson Chandler left off, showing attitude and hustle each and every game. Wesley Matthews has had his moments, and Deron Williams has been able to show that he can be a big time addition to a Mavericks team that was starving for some consistent point guard play following the Rajon Rondo debacle.
Adding a healthy and confident Chandler Parsons to the fold should only increase their chances of doing something special come playoff time, whether that is a playoff run or simply putting up a good fight against some of the elite in the Western Conference.
While I don’t think that Parsons will hit the numbers he hit last season, I think it’s safe to assume that if he stays healthy, he will be vital in this teams success moving forward. The Mavericks currently find themselves in sixth place in the West, and they haven’t even seen the best of Parsons and Matthews up to this point.
If they can get Parsons going, the rest could easily fall right back into place.
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