Chandler Parsons: Dallas Mavericks star in the making
Picture this. Game 2 of the 2005 NBA playoffs, the Houston Rockets vs. the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks are down by one point (19-18) at home in the first quarter. Tracy McGrady catches the basketball in the left corner of the court, blows by Dirk Nowitzki and takes one hard dribble. As McGrady gathers himself and elevates, he jumps over the 7-foot-7 Mavericks center Shawn Bradley. He dunks so ferociously that even the home crowd was in awe for the visiting opponent.
“Oh he just sucked the gravity right out of the building” screams Marv Albert.
The scene is the highlighting moment between the rivalry that the Mavericks and Rockets share. It is one of the most interesting in the NBA since these two teams are in-state rivals.
This offseason, the rivalry between the Mavericks and Rockets intensified.
James Harden even spoke up and voiced his opinion, adding fuel to the fire between the two teams. “Dwight (Howard) and I are the cornerstones of the Rockets,” said Harden. “The rest of the guys are role players or pieces that complete our team. We’ve lost some pieces and added some pieces. I think we’ll be fine next season.”
Big talk from Harden, who also understands how it is going to a new situation and blossoming as a player. Parsons was one piece the Rockets couldn’t afford to lose.
Wisely, the Mavericks signed Chandler Parsons, and rolled the dice that he could become one of the pieces of the immediate future that they can build around. The Mavericks will soon prove to the NBA realm that they were right with their assumption.
From the 2014-15 season’s opening night when Parsons walks onto the American Airlines Center for the Mavericks, he will be the best player on the floor for them.
The 25-year-old Parsons is coming off of a career season. Since entering into the league in 2011, Parsons has increased his points per game, assists per game and his rebounding numbers every year. There is no reason to believe that the trend wont continue as he will be a primary option for the Mavericks.
It should come as no surprise if we see his scoring numbers spike to anywhere between 18-22 points a game, while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out five assists.
If 2013 wasn’t enough of an indication, next year will be a breakout year for Parsons.
Watching him play for the Rockets last season, we saw a productive forward for a team that needed help on offense, but primarily defensively. The Rockets would not have been able to have a meaningful playoff run without Parsons.
The NBA has a list of awesome small forwards that have the ability to score, rebound and defend.
When we think of these small forwards we think of Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant.
That same list of small forwards are the only players currently in the NBA that can say that they are better than Parsons.
Next season, he might even be able to leap-frog a few of these names with a monster year. Playing with the United States basketball team for the 2014 World Cup will only increase his drive and motivate him to play better. Being a part of a roster that has greatness at every position will only inspire.
The Mavericks expect big things from Parsons and the Rockets will be regretting letting him walk away.