PRESSING FORWARD
Fiz vows patience, believes Parsons will work through struggles
Chandler Parsons didn’t mince words when asked about his progress after playing in a back-to-back for the first time this season. The Grizzlies forward delivered a harsh assessment of his game. “I suck right now,” Parsons said. “There’s no sugarcoating it. It is what it is. I’m going to continue to work, continue to grind. I’ll go to the gym (Sunday) and get better, and be ready to go Monday.”
And Parsons will remain in the starting lineup despite his inability to score.
“(Starting is) where he’s more comfortable,” Grizzlies coach David Fizdale said. “That’s the biggest thing — I want him to be comfortable and get connected with his teammates. I really can’t waste time bringing him off the bench where he’s not playing with the guys he’s been brought here to play with. We tossed around all of those ideas with him. But, at the end of the day, I still feel like we’re not there yet to even be thinking about him playing off the bench.”
The Grizzlies return home with a two-game losing streak. They will host four straight games in FedExForum, beginning Monday with the Brooklyn Nets. While Parsons appeared slightly more aggressive last weekend in losses to Houston and Dallas, he hasn’t established a rhythm shooting the basketball. Who: Memphis vs. Brooklyn Nets When, where: 7 p.m. today, FedExForum TV, radio: Fox Sports Southeast; WMFS 92.9 FM/680 AM
Parsons still plays limited minutes following multiple surgeries on his right knee. His offensive productivity are career lows. Over the past five games, Parsons made 7 of 29 field goals (2 of 14 from three-point range) and looked hesitant to shoot.
Fizdale continued to emphasize that he’s less concerned about Parsons putting the ball in the basket and focuses more on his movement.
“We’ve gotten to this point without (Parsons’ scoring). So why be impatient and put extra pressure on him?” Fizdale said. “There’s no need for that. We understand that it’s not easy to come back from his injury and jump in the mix and be the old Chandler Parsons. That’s not realistic. This team will keep supporting him and I just feel like at some point it’s going to kick in.”
Parsons had two points, two assists and seven rebounds against Houston.
He missed four of five shot attempts. Parsons did leap for a blocked shot that was ruled goaltending, and then crashed to the floor.
Fizdale acknowledged the mental wall Parsons must get over.
“That’s the threshold he has to break through — the contact threshold,” Fizdale said. “He needs to be able to get hit, get knocked to the floor and pick himself up. He’s got to go through that to get to the next place.”
Parsons also has to stop being tentative.
The first time he touched the basketball at Houston, Parsons used a pump fake to side step a defender but he passed on an open look at the basket.
“We tell him he’s got the green light. If you’re open, shoot the ball,” Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley said. “He’s a good enough shooter over his career to knock shots down. We’re going to look for him for the minutes he’s in there. We’re going to need him so he’s got continue to be confident.”
Parsons’ mental health bears watching because he sounds frustrated by his poor performances.
“I feel OK physically,” Parsons said. “I’m happy to be out there. It’s just time to start playing well.”
Reach Tillery at Ronald.Tillery@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @CAGrizBeat.