Slowly but Surely, Chandler Parsons Is Settling In with Dallas Mavericks
Chandler Parsons' early shooting slump caused some mild concern among Dallas Mavericks fans. Following a strong December, the question marks regarding his importance to the team are quickly evaporating.
Even during his slump, Parsons, 26, remained upbeat and was adamant that he would break out of possibly the worst funk of his career. To say that he has done so in December would be a severe understatement, even considering his meagre four-point effort against the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 22.
The 6'9" small forward is averaging 21.3 points and 5.9 rebounds, while shooting 50.7 percent shooting from the field and 46.4 percent from three-point range this month.
Parsons is really settling in, and his value to the Mavericks offense is palpable both visually and statistically. When he scores 20 or more points, the Mavericks are 8-1 this season.
When he is on the floor, Parsons is truly the Swiss army knife of the Mavs. Bobby Karalla of Mavs.com did an excellent job breaking down Parsons' greatest qualities within Dallas' offense:
"When Parsons isn’t on the floor, Dallas lacks one more player who can act as a threat immediately off the catch and then the bounce. Even if he were a dead-eye corner three shooter, teams could still stick an average defender on him and just close out. But because he can shoot and drive it off a swing pass, it makes defending him a nightmare.
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To have all those skills in a small forward is a rare luxury in the NBA. Even when Parsons wasn't making his shots and seemingly lacked confidence, the potential was evident.
It takes time for a player who changes teams to adjust to a different environment and new teammates. That has been the case for Parsons, but he is feeling more and more confident within his role in the offense.
"You want to be a threat," Parsons said, according to ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon. "You don't want teams just to key in on Monta [Ellis] and Dirk [Nowitzki]. They've been playing great, but we have multiple guys who can score the ball. I'm one of those guys."
Parsons also stressed the importance of not forcing the issue, which is the right mindset in his situation. He recognizes when it's time to get out of the way and let Ellis take over a game. Even when he is simply standing in the corner, he remains a secondary or tertiary threat who can explode when needed, which keeps defenses honest.
It's relatively uncommon for Parsons to be the initial ball-handler on pick-and-rolls. Sometimes the guards do swing the ball to him early in possessions and allow him and Nowitzki to run pick-and-rolls on the wing. However, he mostly excels at driving to the basket when his teammates fail to break down the initial line of defense and kick the ball out to the perimeter.
Parsons has a lethal pump fake that works at a surprisingly high rate. It's almost comical how hard defenders bite when he shows the ball, and Parsons' skill set allows him to break down a defense from there. He has a nifty floater in his arsenal, can finish tough scoop shots through contact and has great timing with his dump-off passes if defenders rotate in time.
Shawn Marion, who Parsons directly replaced, lacked the young legs and the offensive versatility of his successor. Even so, Dallas had the third-best offense last year. Parsons' arrival has added that extra dimension which has effectively upgraded an elite scoring team to one of the best offenses in NBA history.
With the Mavericks trading for Rajon Rondo, Parsons' offensive role won't change too much. He probably won't ever initiate possessions with two ball-dominant guards next to him, but his overall function should remain the same.
Rondo thrives when it comes to finding open shooters no matter how tight the gap for a pass is. If anything, Parsons should be scoring even more off cuts, as he did in Dallas' 99-93 victory against the San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 20. Rondo was able to find Parsons on timely cuts, especially when the former All-Star point guard managed to probe the middle of the floor.
In that particular game, Rondo facilitated a lot of plays with precise passing. Parsons was on the receiving end of a couple of those slick dishes simply by recognizing the open space and decisively attacking it.
Parsons has already bought into a role playing off the ball and knows that an elite passer like Rondo will get him and everyone else involved. The biggest adjustment, at least according to Parsons himself, will be to always expect a pass, as Rondo seemingly sees everything.
"Just have your hands up at all times," Parsons said, according to DallasNews.com's Eddie Sefko. "You don’t want to take one off the dome."
If there was any doubt before, it's certainly clear that Parsons is by no means a bust or not worth the big money the Mavs invested in him. He is part of a rare breed of wings who can pass, shoot and put the ball on the floor, and Dallas is looking even scarier now that Parsons has found his groove.
With his confidence growing and the slump behind him, Parsons should continue putting up outstanding performances as the season progresses.
You can follow me on Twitter: @VytisLasaitis
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