Gotta say Asik. His rebounding is consistenly making him a great player, and he still has upside. He's improving his free throw shooting, and he's at least trying to throw it down more often. He'll improve over time, and to other teams, that should be a scary prospect.
I think Parsons is the 2nd best player after Harden. Yes Asik is a good defensive player and can grab a lot of defensive rebounds. But his offensive game is just so bad that it really takes an effect on the game at times. Lately, whenever the Rockets pass Asik the ball around the paint area, its almost a guarantee turnover or the ball bouncing off the backboard really hard... What makes Parsons better than Asik is because he can play both ends of the floor well. Asik is a good defensive player but Parsons can also play great defense as well. Plus, Parsons ability to handle the ball and create shots for others is really surprising. The difference between them is that Asik can be very inconsistent and at times, a completely non factor in some games while Parsons find different ways to help the team whether its rebounding, guarding opposing wings, shooting 3s, or creating for others..
I don't think Asik would get any better than he is now. He may get just a little better but I think this is the best we will see out of Asik. His defense and rebounds is already at its peak and his offense isn't going to get that much better. Plus Asik is already 26 years old and he's not athletic or have some of the natural talent some other young players have. One thing about Asik is that he works hard and puts in a ton of effort. At the end, Asik is just an defensive center that can grab a lot of defensive rebounds and still a liability on the offensive end...
Well, Asik doesn't need to be counted on for his offense. It's like Kendrick Perkins in OKC; sure, Perkins could always have the ball more, but when you have a Durant and Westbrook on your team, or a Harden/Lin/Parsons on your team, wouldn't you rather the ball be in their hands, instead of your center? I doubt plays are being drawn up for Asik too; only the Howards and the Brook Lopezs get plays drawn.
Asik is a top five player at his position... Lin and Parsons are not... So there you go... Although I do like Parsons and he obviously has outplayed his contract BUT, I can't stand a 6-9 SF who drives to the hoop for a layup and misses when he should be dunking the ball...
