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Would Chandler Parsons have been a better alternative to Harrison Barnes on Team USA?

By Ian Pierno

Mar 30, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban (left) talks with injured forward Chandler Parsons (center) during the second half of the game against the New York Knicks at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeat the Knicks 91-89. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 30, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban (left) talks with injured forward Chandler Parsons (center) during the second half of the game against the New York Knicks at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeat the Knicks 91-89. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Chandler Parsons and Harrison Barnes play the same position and signed identical contracts last summer, but only Barnes made the United States’ Olympic squad. Would Team USA’s play have been different had it been Parsons who donned the stars and stripes?

Despite losing out on a ring, the summer started off as well as it could have for Harrison Barnes. He replaced the vacant position left by Chandler Parsons on the Dallas Mavericks, signing a four-year deal worth approximately $95,000,000 while being handcuffed to Mark Cuban.

Since achieving wealth beyond his wildest dreams, Barnes has been on the receiving end of countless Twitter roasts all summer after taking the 13th spot on the United States’ Olympic team roster.

Barnes spent the majority of the Olympics on the bench, playing only 32 minutes, which was less than half minutes the next player above him (DeMar DeRozan: 78 minutes) played. Even New York Knicks point guard Brandon Jennings made note:

With Barnes making virtually no impact, it’s hard not to wonder who may have been able to contribute more in his spot.

At his new home in Memphis (or from training in Los Angeles), newly acquired Grizzlies forward Chandler Parsons had to watch the Rio Olympics while staying stateside.

Though, Team USA did win gold, it did experience some notable road bumps along the way. Could a healthy Parsons have added extra depth that would’ve pushed the stars and stripes to the next level?

To put it simply: yes.

Aug 21, 2016; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; USA forward Harrison Barnes (8) on the bench against Serbia in the men’s gold game during the during the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 1. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 21, 2016; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; USA forward Harrison Barnes (8) on the bench against Serbia in the men’s gold game during the during the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 1. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports /

Part of the reason that Team USA struggled in the Olympics was its lackluster shooting. Luckily, its utter dominance on the offensive glass from the likes of DeMarcus Cousins and DeAndre Jordan gave Team USA a plethora of second chance opportunities to score. When those second chance opportunities didn’t come as often, like in its first game against Nikola Jokic and Serbia, it wasn’t pretty.

Parsons’ size combined with his ability to shoot would’ve made him a perfect fit as a spot-up shooter on the Olympic team. Hence, the reason Carmelo Anthony excels so greatly in international play.

With the Dallas Mavericks last season, Parsons shot 41.4 percent from behind the arc. Take away Kevin Durant’s sizzling 58.1 percent on 25-of-43 shooting (!!!) on 3-pointers and Team USA only shot a paltry 31.9 percent as a unit in the Rio Olympics. That same mark would’ve made the Americans the second-worst 3-point shooting team in the NBA last season. 

Barnes shot only 38.3 percent from 3-point land last season, a mark that dipped to 34.2 percent in the playoffs—the most recent sample of play Coach K had to go off of when choosing his squad.

Parsons’ true shooting percentage, which also takes 2-point shots and free throws into account, is three percent higher (.589 vs. .559) than Barnes despite the fact their free throw and three point attempt rates are roughly the same.

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There’s more Parsons could’ve done than just stretch the floor as a shooter, though, he’s a far superior passer than Barnes, too. Parsons’ assist ratio from last year (16.0 percent) more than doubles Barnes’ (7.8 percent).

Kyrie Irving, who’s often criticized for not being as efficient a passer as the other top point guards in the league, led the team in assists. Team USA could’ve used all the extra ball movement—an area it faltered until the championship game—it could get.

Up 40 points in the Gold Medal game, Coach K wouldn’t have had to make the difficult decision, as first noted by Jason Concepcion, to give garbage time to a player who put a picture of his penis on the Snapchat before subbing in Barnes had Parsons been the alternative.

That being said, with Parsons and Barnes having the exact same contract over the next four years, it may be safe to assume who was the better value.

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