Houston Rockets: Can Chandler Parsons Be a Legitimate Scoring Option?

Chandler Parsons has done well for the Houston Rockets and his future is bright. (Flickr.com photo by Norma Gonzalez/The Pan American)

This season, the Houston Rockets have run mainly on James Harden.

Harden has dominated this season, averaging 25.8 points per game (PPG) and 5.9 assists per game (APG) while taking the Rockets back into contention and the playoff picture. He has brought hope for the future to Houston with his MVP-worthy play and he seems poised to take the Rockets deep into the playoffs in the near future.

The star shooting guard has blossomed into one of the league’s best overall players and he’s done so without another legitimate star on his team. However, he has talent on his team to help him out.

When he was with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Harden had two legitimate stars in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to pass the ball to and receive the ball from. Harden averaged 3.7 APG during the 2011-12 season, when he was surrounded by Durant and Westbrook on a team that made the NBA Finals.

However, without many recognizable names in Houston to help him, Harden is thriving. Jeremy Lin is well known, but his player efficiency rating (PER) is only slightly better than the league average of 15 (at 15.2). There are five double-digit scorers on the Rockets (outside of Harden), but none of them have been too efficient.

But Chandler Parsons could help change that.

Parsons is averaging 15.1 PPG and has been the second-most reliable scorer on the Rockets. At times, he catches fire and shines like a superstar. However, consistency has been a problem for the sharp-shooter.

From 3-point range, Parsons shoots 38.3 percent, which is above average. He can go off and carry Houston’s potent offensive attack even with Harden lurking on the court, as well. In fact, Parsons has had a mere two games since Jan. 23 in which he scored single-digit points and in one of them, he scored nine points. Parsons is a 48.1 percent shooter, so he’s a legitimate threat to make just about every shot he takes.

In one three-game span in early March, Parsons caught fire, making 17-of-23 triples in two Houston victories (two games against the Dallas Mavericks and one against the Golden State Warriors). Parsons averaged 27 PPG in those games and he showed he can carry the Rockets. In Houston’s last 16 games, Parsons has performed better and averaged 17.4 PPG.

The only glaring hole in Parsons’ scoring game is consistency. When he’s hot, he’s definitely a legitimate, reliable scoring option. However, he isn’t a star mainly because of his inconsistency. He puts the ball in the hoop and is the second-leading scorer on a team that leads the league in points scored with an average of 106.2 PPG.

However, there are other areas in which Parsons hasn’t been impressive. His player efficiency rating (PER) is 15.1,again only slightly better than the league average. A lot of that is related to defense, but that also suggests that Parsons needs to be more efficient as a scorer.

Parsons’ estimated wins added (EWA) is 6.1, which is mediocre. LeBron James’ EWA is about five times higher than Parsons’, meaning that the Rocket small forward needs to step up his game to be considered a legitimate scoring threat. He’s definitely put on some shows and changed games, but he his streaky tendency has cost him.

The Rockets are a good scoring team and without offense, the Rockets are nothing (they are also 28th in defense with 102.7 points allowed per game). Parsons is a crucial part of Houston’s offense and when he does well, the Rockets tend to score more. For example, when he scored 32 points against the Mavericks on Sunday, March 3, the Rockets dropped 136 points on Dallas.

However, Parsons isn’t a legitimate scoring threat just yet. He needs to be more efficient on offense and shoot well consistently, which is definitely something Parsons can do. As of late, he’s been scoring at a high rate and he’s been able to carry the Rocket offense. The future is bright for the 24-year old small forward and while he has a bit of work to do, Parsons will blossom and get a lot better.

And once he improves his consistency, Parsons will become a great scoring option and form a formidable 1-2 punch with Harden.