Rajon Rondo Has Forced Chandler Parsons to Adjust Yet Again for Dallas Mavericks

Chandler Parsons' debut season with the Dallas Mavericks has been filled with adjustments.

He suffered through one of the worst shooting slumps of his career to start the year while trying to adapt to a new system.

Once he managed to establish himself, the Mavs brought in Rajon Rondo, which forced the versatile small forward to change again in order to accommodate the newcomer.

The Mavericks have collectively gone through the growing pains of adding a unique player such as Rondo midseason. Parsons, who is expected to miss two more games with an ankle injury, has probably been affected the most.

Parsons, 26, had just begun to thrive within head coach Rick Carlisle's flow offense when Dallas swung a deal with the Boston Celtics for Rondo on Dec. 18. But the new starting point guard hasn't been a great fit offensively, which is something ESPN Dallas' Tim MacMahon summarized well:

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If Carlisle had his way, the Mavs would never have to call a play. They’d just play free-flowing offense at all times. But that doesn’t work with Rondo, whose shooting woes allow defenses to dare him to beat them from the perimeter, screwing up the spacing for everybody else.

So the Mavs must adjust their offensive scheme to mask Rondo’s weaknesses and maximize his strengths.

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Before adding Rondo, most of Dallas' plays would start off with a Monta Ellis pick-and-roll, but spontaneous secondary and tertiary actions were always on the table when defenses sniffed out the initial plan. Parsons is an extremely valuable weapon in that type of a flow. He can stretch the floor while also being able to punish opponents with a lethal pump fake and off-the-dribble game.

Once Ellis or another guard would soften up the defense, Parsons would put the final nail in the coffin with a secondary drive, either by finishing himself or finding an open teammate. The waves of penetration Dallas would send overwhelmed just about every team in the league.

Since adding Rondo to the mix, the offense has stagnated, and Parsons' ability to impact the game has suffered as a result.

Numbers Don't Lie

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There are three relevant shooting splits to look at when it comes to Parsons this season—the numbers before the big trade, as well as his figures with and without Rondo on the court.

When studying Parsons' efficiency before the trade, it's important to remember that he was in a huge shooting slump. Even so, his overall skill set was a perfect addition to Dallas' offense.

Here are the types of shots that Parsons took before the Rondo trade, via nbawowy!:

Shot Type	%FGA
Dunk/Layup	25.7
Mid-Range	27.0
Three-Pointer	45.5

These particular splits have the relatively small sample size of around the first month-and-a-half of the season. Parsons took almost half of his shots from beyond the arc, and most of his other looks were from either mid-range or around the basket.

With Rondo on the floor, Parsons' shot attempts are virtually identical:

Shot Type	%FGA
Dunk/Layup	24.0
Mid-Range	27.9
Three-Pointer	43.6

However, Parsons had a 21.7 usage rate before the trade, which drops to 17.4 when he shares the court with the ball-dominant point guard. This means that his individual looks haven't changed per se, but he hasn't been utilized as much.

Rondo needs the ball in his hands to be effective, and he has an enormous usage rate of 22.6 when Parsons is on the floor.

Parsons' numbers with Rondo on the bench are somewhat different since December. He finishes his plays with a layup or dunk attempt on 28.5 percent of his possessions, over four percent higher than with Rondo. He also takes fewer threes and has a usage rate of 22.4.

The statistics back up the eye test. When Rondo is on the floor, there is a lot less room to drive to the basket. Whenever Parsons runs a side pick-and-roll, the lane is usually crowded. Here is an example:

Credit: TNT

Parsons settles for a mid-range jumper here. He gets a fine look thanks to an excellent screen by Tyson Chandler, but defenses can live with those shots. Take notice of how far the Oklahoma City Thunder's Russell Westbrook has strayed off Rondo on that play. If Parsons drives, there is plenty of help, and kicking out to an open point guard in the corner who can't shoot isn't an attractive option.

Here is another play that ends up with a Parsons mid-range jumper:

Credit: TNT

Rondo crowds Parsons' space on this side pick-and-roll, and there is absolutely no room to drive. The now-departed Jameer Nelson would give up the ball to Parsons and sprint to the unoccupied right corner in the same scenario, creating a ton of space.

With Rondo on the court, Parsons is mostly relegated to being a spot-up shooter and rarely gets an honest opportunity to attack the basket. His free-throw rate also drops from 0.28 to 0.13, as he simply doesn't get to the rim as often.

Parsons averaged four assists per game last season with the Houston Rockets but averages just 2.4 this season. Even when adjusted to per-36 minutes, those numbers still show a drop-off from 3.8 to 2.6 assists. That is a result of limited drive-and-kick opportunities which Parsons is so good at.

Final Thoughts

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Austin Ngaruiya of Mavs Moneyball summed up the way Parsons needs to be utilized pretty well:

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The Mavs need to drive Parsons like he’s a stick shift and not an automatic. With some ball handling redistribution and an uptick in his finishing around the rim, Parsons could be the player Carlisle envisioned.

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Parsons is a rare breed of small forward who is able to create offense off the dribble. Among ball-handlers who have run over 100 pick-and-rolls this season, Parsons ranks third in the league with 0.99 points per play, per NBA.com's Synergy stats. Only Stephen Curry and Louis Williams rank higher.

However, out of all of his offensive possessions, Parsons is the pick-and-roll handler just 17.1 percent of the time. Among the 15 best players in this category, only the Chicago Bulls' Jimmy Butler has a lower frequency of such plays.

When you play next to a guy like Dirk Nowitzki, who needs his touches in the post, and a ball-dominant slasher like Monta Ellis, you obviously won't be the primary offensive weapon. But since adding Rondo, Parsons' abilities have certainly become underutilized.

For now, he can only continue doing what he has done all season long—adjust.

All statistics are courtesy of nbawowy! and NBA.com.

You can follow me on Twitter: @VytisLasaitis.