It’s go time
The Grizzlies’ Chandler Parsons, back from two right knee surgeries, is eager to pick up pace,
“I’m obviously not hitting at a high rate, and I’ve been an efficient player. ... But it’s the law of averages, man. Let me keep playing.” Chandler Parsons on improving his shooting percentage as he gets more playing time
It was early New Year’s Eve in Sacramento, and a plane that would take Chandler Parsons and his Memphis Grizzlies teammates to Los Angeles in time for the revelry was waiting.
If ever there was a time for cutting to the chase in a postgame chat, this was it. Especially when the 28-year-old whose last two seasons were cut short by right knee injuries had just endured another frustrating night.
Of the seven shots he took in 16 minutes of a win against the Kings — two converted layups, a three-pointer that was short but bounced up and in, and four misses from long range that were either way short, way long or to the right — none sent the message that he was back. The latest tally, with Parsons’ most recent setback a bone bruise on his left knee that cost him more than a month before his Dec. 21 return: 34.7% shooting overall and 20% on three-pointers in 11 games, all while suffering through a playing-time restriction that is enough to drive him mad.
“I mean, it’s awful,” Parsons told USA TODAY Sports about his shot. “It’s flat. I’m not in game shape. I’m obviously not hitting at a high rate, and I’ve been an efficient player my entire career. But it’s the law of averages, man. Let me keep playing. I ain’t gonna shoot this bad for the rest of the year.”
As New Year’s resolutions go, Parsons’ is the kind of lofty goal that could make him a fascinating X factor come playoff time. If he can return to form, giving the Grizzlies the scoring and playmaking they envisioned when they signed him to a four-year, $94 million maximum salary deal in July, Memphis (22-14 entering Tuesday, sixth place in the Western Conference) just might be good enough to put a scare into the NBA’s elite.
In the 2013-14 season Parsons was at his best, averaging 16.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and four assists for the Houston Rockets and making a major impact in a first-round playoff loss to the Portland Trail Blazers (19.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists in six games). He played a big enough part in the Dallas Mavericks’ success the past two seasons that owner/ friend Mark Cuban would listen to him on personnel decisions, even with the injuries that ultimately led to his departure. And as great as the Grizzlies are defensively (tops in the NBA in defensive rating), the fact is they’ll need an offensive boost if they’re to be taken seriously come late April (23rd in offensive rating).
“Slowly but surely, we’re just bringing him along and just letting him get his sea legs under him,” said Grizzlies first-year coach David Fizdale, who has Parsons playing between 12 and 15 minutes a game and resting on the second night of back- to-back sets. “Hopefully as we move through the season and he can stay healthy, we keep extending his minutes a little more at a time.
“We can’t risk, for a couple games here or there, the big picture. And the big picture is going as deep as we can in this thing.”
But to watch Parsons now — post-microfracture surgery on May 1, 2015, and nine months removed from the procedure to repair his torn meniscus in the same right knee — is to wonder how long it might take for him to bridge this gap between where he is now and what he once was.
“It takes time, being away for that long,” said Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, limited to 52 games last season because of a broken right foot. “Obviously most of his shots are short. He already shoots it a little flat, but a lot of it is short. Just patience. Keep working at it, and one day you’re going to feel like you don’t know why but the ball starts going in. And you see the ball go in, and you build that confidence up, and don’t stress it. Just keep going. Keep doing what you’re doing.” Every so often, the patience wanes. “Just the other day, he wanted to fight through his minute restriction (in a game),” Grizzlies guard Tony Allen said. “I saw him get red, and I saw him get upset, kicking the chairs, so I yelled back at the coach — ‘Let him play. Let him fight back. Let him find his rhythm.’ But (Grizzlies officials) know, the doctors and training staff know best, so patience is a virtue.” One that Parsons swears he has. “They’re being very cautious with it obviously, and it’s something where I’m glad I went through it last year because now I won’t let it frustrate me as much,” Parsons said. “As a competitor, you want to play. You want to help us win. They’re paying me a lot of money to help the team win, and it’s like telling a doctor to finish a surgery in 12 minutes. You’re not going to do a great job.”
The good news, in Parsons’ eyes, is that his left knee feels good again and the surgeons who worked on his right knee twice took their time to get the job right. As long as he can avoid return trips to the doctor’s office and build his way back over the course of the next few months, he’s convinced it will all be worth it — again.
“As frustrated as I am playing 12 to 15 minutes, and no back-to-backs for a month or two, I think it’s a smart thing to do,” Parsons said. “If I’m playing my best basketball around the playoffs, we’re going to be a tough team to beat.”