The Dallas Mavericks' experiment with bringing Chandler Parsons off the bench has thus far yielded mixed results. However, with Parsons still limited to about 25 minutes per game, it's an interesting wrinkle that he thinks will help the team.
"It was just something that we had talked about," Parsons said after coming off the bench for the first time this season in a loss to the Houston Rockets. "Something that we thought would be beneficial to the entire team while I'm going through this minute restriction, a different look to space out my minutes. It's been tough on everybody trying to get in a flow, get in a rhythm. When starting the first six minutes of the game and the first six minutes of the second half, that kills half my minutes right there."
How Parsons' playing time is managed has been a major storyline for the team this season. Previously, he was limited to around 15 minutes per game. That was increased to 25 on a recent road trip to Philadelphia. During that time, though, Parsons remained in the starting lineup. This meant that by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, he found himself on the bench more often than not. That didn't sit well with Parsons, nor did his performance with the starting unit, so he spoke with head coach Rick Carlisle about making a change.
"We hadn't been getting off to great starts," Parsons said. "I hadn't been getting in a good rhythm. I hadn't been getting myself going. And I hate not playing in the fourth quarter so I just went to [Carlisle] and I wanted to win and I felt like this would give our team the best opportunity to win and be successful."
After the first game in which Parsons came off the bench, Carlisle seemed pleased with the results.
"At this point I like it a lot because it opens up a lot of flexibility," Carlisle said after the Rockets loss. "It enables him to be involved in the fourth quarter. It is an adjustment to him, but until the minutes restrictions are completely lifted, if we don't do something like this, he's going to keep getting shut down in the fourth quarter."
Three games into the experiment, his numbers have mostly remained similar to those he posted while starting. His shooting percentage, however, has seen a sharp decline. Since coming off the bench, Parsons is shooting 33.3 percent as opposed to 47.8 percent as a starter. He's seen an uptick in his 3-point percentage, though, but has yet to score more than nine points as a reserve.
Parsons' struggles off the bench were very apparent against the Atlanta Hawks. He scored just five points on 2-of-9 shooting in 20 minutes leading Carlisle to hold him out of the game in the final minutes. The Mavericks lost 98-95.
While three games is a small sample size, it's clear that Parsons is still adjusting to his reserve role. Nonetheless, Parsons will continue to keep coming off the bench for the foreseeable future and both he and Carlisle know that he can continue to learn from his new role while maintaining the same level of aggressive play that he has shown as a starter.
"He should play the same style of game," Carlisle said after the loss to the Hawks. "He's a key guy, a key playmaker. We need him as a defender and rebounder.
"This is an experience for him which is completely different. He's never come off the bench. When you get put into this situation you learn a lot about the approach, how to watch the first few minutes, keep yourself ready, and then just go. Because you don't know, the first shot may come right at you right off the bench and you've got to be ready to step in and knock it in."
Parsons agrees.
"It's just a different look while we're going through this until I get my legs back and my rhythm back," he said. "Just coming in and play carefree. Especially be a playmaker and be aggressive with that second unit."
The Mavs did hold Parsons out of the first half of a blowout loss to the Charlotte Hornets earlier this season but he started the second half of the game. It was the first time the team tinkered with their approach to divvying up his minutes.
Though the returns haven't been great as of yet, the flexibility that Parsons' bench role affords the team has proven to be enough of a reason to stick with it.
"It really helps us that it now opens up his minutes window to bring him into the fourth quarter," Carlisle said. "We have great flexibility for sure. And if we keep going well, the minutes restriction will be eased and eased. And hopefully, I don't know when, but he'll have the total green light."
