Time for Dallas Mavericks to Use Chandler Parsons to the Fullest
The Dallas Mavericks clearly saw potential in Chandler Parsons, as they nabbed him from the Houston Rockets with a three-year deal exceeding $45 million last summer. But with the NBA playoffs just around the corner, he is still not being utilized correctly.
With Dirk Nowitzki relatively inconsistent this season, Monta Ellis has assumed the role of Dallas' closer. However, with the explosive guard banged up (he left last Friday's game against the San Antonio Spurs on crutches according to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com), Parsons may be the surest offensive weapon Dallas has in crunch time.
Dallas GM Donnie Nelson admitted that the Mavs overpaid to land Parsons when the deal was done. That talk has quieted down now as the versatile small forward has shown his potential in plenty of explosive performances, but he still fades in and out of games and hasn't had a fair opportunity to perform in crunch time.
MacMahon recently presented the evidence:
"According to NBA.com’s statistical database, Parsons has a clutch usage rate of 12.0 percent, counting possessions in the final five minutes of regulation and overtime when the score is within five points. He has by far the highest scoring average (15.6 points per game) of any player with a clutch usage rate that low, 3.5 points higher than Atlanta’s DeMarre Carroll.
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The Problem
Dallas' offense in close games has been questionable. Ellis has been fantastic for most of the year, but those miraculous jumpers he seems to hit over and over won't necessarily be there in the playoffs. The Mavericks found that out the hard way in their close 98-92 loss to the Phoenix Suns on March 22.
Ellis finished that particular contest shooting 4-22 from the field while bricking all of his eight attempts in the fourth quarter. Even though Monta bounced back from that abysmal performance, it highlighted just how predictable the Mavericks can be despite having an abundance of offensive talent.
Nowitzki and Parsons simply stood by and spaced the floor while Ellis relentlessly tried to do what has worked all year long. The Mavericks simply can't expect to keep pulling out close games in the playoffs by relying on hero ball down the stretch.
Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle admitted that he would like to get everyone else involved more.
"Monta’s had the ball most of the time in crunch time all year," Carlisle said, via MacMahon. "I would like to get Parsons involved. I would like to get (Rajon) Rondo and I would like to get other playmakers involved to take some of the heat off of Monta. I think that’s the right thing to do."
Carlisle's offense has mostly been based on collectively creating a great shot through ball movement. But in close games, players are often forced to run time off the clock (if their team has the lead, that is). That means there is less time to probe a defense, and they have to rely on creating through more stagnant options like post-ups or isolations.
It's not like Carlisle doesn't draw up plays for players other than Ellis, but the ball almost always ends up in his hands when a set breaks down. He is the primary ball-handler on Dallas' pick-and-rolls, while Parsons is almost exclusively the guy who gets the kick-out pass and is relied upon to provide secondary penetration.
There is no reason the Mavericks shouldn't mix it up and put Parsons as the primary ball-handler at the top of the key in some possessions. They already do that to some extent but not nearly enough or late in games. He certainly has the stats on his side.
Parsons is the pick-and-roll ball-handler on just 18.3 percent of his shots despite the fact that he puts up the Mavs' highest points per possession (0.93) on those plays, according to Synergy stats provided to NBA.com. For reference, Ellis and Rondo both run pick-and-rolls on over 40 percent of their plays while putting up 0.83 and 0.64 points per possession, respectively.
Parsons—The Solution
Parsons ranks fifth in the league in points per possession as the pick-and-roll ball-handler, per Synergy stats. The four players ahead of him are all guards, and the only one of them posting a higher effective field-goal percentage is the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry.
It's relatively uncommon for teams to run pick-and-rolls with their small forward and center, but the Mavericks have that option readily available with Tyson Chandler and Parsons. Even so, only Richard Jefferson and Charlie Villanueva use more possessions spotting up for the Mavericks than Parsons, per Synergy. Those statistics suggest that he has essentially been an overqualified floor-spacer.
The Mavericks got a little teaser of what Parsons is capable of in Sunday's 104-99 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Even though Dallas lost, Parsons was when the focal point of the offense, andfantastically so, dropping 27 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
With Ellis sitting the game out, Parsons had an opportunity to initiate the offense on plenty of possessions. He was able to showcase his pick-and-roll prowess with plays such as the one below:
Notice how Parsons gets Pacers rim protector Roy Hibbert off balance with a subtle pass fake to a cutting Chandler before finishing the play himself.
Parsons was able to do that on several occasions against Indiana. Because of his unique combination of size, ball-handling ability and speed, he is tough to deal with on pick-and-rolls. It's hard to keep him from getting to the rim off a good screen, and he is strong and big enough to finish over centers.
Dallas also ran some pick-and-rolls with Nowitzki and Parsons, mostly to great success. It's a duo that brings a multitude of threats to the table and can score in plenty of ways. That forces the opposition to make concessions. They combined on a crucial play down the stretch, as Parsons was able to split the defense and finish at the rim.
Following the game, Dirk spoke highly of his teammate.
"He’s shown over the season that he’s ready for it, that he can handle it," Nowitzki said about Parsons, via MacMahon. "He makes smart decisions. He’s great at getting to the basket. He’s sneaky around the rim, getting stuff up on the glass."
Nowitzki is right. Parsons can get to the rim with ease and is able to finish a variety of nifty scoop shots or up-and-unders when he is there. He often gets hacked, and doesn't get the superstar treatment as far as fouls go, but he's an extremely tough player for opponents to handle.
The fact that he has great vision and is a good passer makes him an all-around threat.
Parsons had an overall fantastic performance against Indiana and finally got an opportunity to affect the game in crunch time. Unfortunately, he committed an offensive foul on a semi-transition possession late and missed a desperate game-tying three off a broken play drawn up for Villanueva.
Even though he faltered a little in crucial moments, Parsons has certainly made his case. He has to move up in Dallas' internal chain of command if the Mavericks are to make any noise in the playoffs.
All advanced statistics are courtesy of NBA.com, unless otherwise noted.
You can follow me on Twitter: @VytisLasaitis
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