Dallas Mavericks: Chandler Parsons Wants Bigger Role
By Evan Massey
Dallas Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons wants a bigger role than just being a spot-up shooter.
The Dallas Mavericks were very aggressive in free agency this past offseason, and they came away with one of the more talented players in Chandler Parsons. He was a huge part of the Houston Rockets’ success last season, but has gotten off to a bit of a slow start this season. Whether that’s due to a change in cities, systems, or simply being used in a way that doesn’t suit his play style is the next question that arises.
Take a look at Parson’s numbers so far this season with the Mavericks:
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/3/2014.
Parsons talked about wanting to have a larger role with Dallas rather than simply being a perimeter shooter. His game last season in Houston was about getting to the rim and making plays for his teammates, and that is what he wants to change to this year. Dallas has had him as more of a shooting specialist this year, and it simply hasn’t fit very well with what Parsons likes and needs to do in order to play to the best of his abilities.
Here are the quotes that Parsons gave the media:
"“I’m not a shooter. I shouldn’t just be a spot-up shooter. That’s not what I do. My best attribute is playmaking and making guys better, finding guys and making the game come easier for everybody else.”"
"“I think I can create more obviously with the ball in my hands more. I can see the floor with my size and my passing ability. It would make things a lot easier, but I’m not one to ask for plays. I don’t need plays. I can play off the ball, I can cut and dive. I may knock down shots, but [creating is] what I do best, so that would be nice.”"
Rick Carlisle is one of the better head coaches in the NBA at putting his players in positions to be successful, and this may be the start of a role change for Parsons. It is fairly obvious that he isn’t happy with how he is being used, and Dallas needs to be very careful with this situation.
There is no denying the potential that Parsons has for the future, and there is a good chance that he could turn into a star. At 26 years of age, he has grown a lot in the last two years and still has time to grow more and even more potential to tap into. Dallas has to figure out how to get the most out of him, because they won’t be nearly as good as they can be until they get him playing that way.
Perhaps simply allowing Parsons to create more off the dribble and get to the rim would help him out. One of the big issues from his quotes is that Parsons wants the freedom to create for himself and his teammates, and he feeds off of getting to the rim. It isn’t going to be easy to give him the ball and let him drive with Monta Ellis, Dirk Nowitzki, and even Jameer Nelson needing the basketball in their hands.
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That being said, the Mavericks could give him a test run and see exactly what type of changes he can make for the better with the green light to put the ball on the floor. It seemed to work very well for him last season in Houston. Another possibility would be to draw up more plays where Parsons is going towards the rim rather than simply spotting up behind the arc.
When everything is said and done, the Mavericks have a lot of talent in Parsons and they need to unlock that talent. He simply hasn’t looked like the big addition that everyone thought he would be, and a lot of that has to do with him not being comfortable or liking his new role. Dallas needs to free him up and let him get back to what he does, and see if it works.
Expect to see some changes in Parsons’ role over the next few weeks, and to see him beginning to break out and live up to the hype that many have set for him.