Chandler Parsons' tenure with the Memphis Grizzlies has been a sour one to say the least, yet head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has one simple goal for his four-year, $94 million investment — to stay on the court.
Asked if he had any particular goals for the once-promising stretch-four, Bickerstaff showed no signs of high aspirations for one of the biggest duds of the 2016 free agency class.
“Just that he plays games,” the coach said, according to Mark Giannotto of The Commercial Appeal. “I think the hardest thing for him is battling with the injuries, and being in and being out, and then trying to catch a rhythm. The more games he plays, he’s proven, even last year in a short amount of time, when he played games in a row, he proved that he could be an effective player and he’s a talented basketball player. We just got to make sure he’s on the floor.”
Adding Parsons to the mix has gone from a potential star in the making to one that has now collected more millions than starts under a Grizzlies jersey (made $45 million between 2016 and 2018 while starting in 42 games between the last two seasons).
The bar is set pathetically low for Parsons, who has played 34 and 36 games in each of the last two seasons, respectively after five promising seasons in the state of Texas.
The Florida product averaged 7.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game last season, playing a shade under 20 minutes per game due to his injury concerns, but shot a respectable 46.2 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from deep.
Regardless, the Grizzlies will need to see more consistency from him on the floor on a nightly basis to somehow recoup their large investment in him.
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