Memphis Grizzlies’ Chandler Parsons: A Fall From Grace

Chandler Parsons isn’t the player that he used to be or the one the Memphis Grizzlies expected him to be. Did he have the quickest decline in NBA history?

Have you ever driven by a deadly car accident? It really is a strange exercise in human psychology. Everyone stops to take a look and view the accident for themselves. When we see a horrible accident or tragedy, it’s like we just can’t look away (look no further than the Gordon Hayward injury).

Without trying to disrespect him, this is also how I feel whenever I see Chandler Parsons walk onto a basketball court. I remember when I watched the game where Parsons broke the NBA record for 3-pointers in a half against the Grizzlies several years ago. When an opposing player basically turns into a Ray Allen-Larry Bird hybrid for a game, that memory will be etched into your brain for awhile. He was magnificent, truly unstoppable that night.

Knowing what he was makes it all the more painful to see what he is now.

Players in professional sports often lose their effectiveness due to injuries. After all, the combination of injuries and Father Time are both undefeated. However, I’m not sure there has ever been such a quick decline like there has been with Chandler Parsons.

Let’s wind the clock back to February 2016. Chandler Parsons is coming off the best month of his entire career, averaging 18.8 PPG while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 45.4 percent from 3. He definitely looked the part of a player who could be apart of a Big Three. Now let’s go forward in time to November 6th (after a second knee surgery) when he’s making his debut for the Memphis Grizzlies. Parsons would finish that game 0-of-8 from the field, and it would only get worse from there. Now this was just one bad game, but it certainly set the tone for a very disappointing season for Parsons. In just nine months, Chandler had gone from one of the better wings in the league to someone who didn’t look like a legitimate NBA player.

Other Examples?

There are many players in NBA history who never truly reached their full potential due to injuries. Derrick Rose is the most well-known case in recent years, but he’s still a solid NBA player who is starting on a title-contender. Penny Hardaway injured his left knee after being dominant early in his career, but he still played for 14 years. Amar’e Stoudemire had one MVP-caliber season in New York before his knee problems finally slowed him down.

There really appears to be no one else in NBA history that has had such a drastic fall like Chandler Parsons. Injuries have killed too many good careers. However, I have never seen injuries potentially kill a career so fast.

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A Return to Form?

Chandler Parsons will never be the player that he once was. However, he still has the chance to be a solid player for the Memphis Grizzlies. Many people — experts, fans, even myself at times  –believe that he’s truly finished. For a person who is as competitive as Parsons, all of the criticism has to be driving him. He badly wants to remain an effective player in the NBA.

With my luck, Chandler Parsons will come off of the bench tonight and score 28 points on 6-of-8 shooting from 3. He can render this entire article void.

I truly hope he does.