Parson's has never been a great 3 point shooter. In college most of his shots came driving the lane. He can hit shots when his feet are set, but not a great jump shooter yet. His best offensive strength has yet to really be utilized. He is a real nice pick and role player, and passer out of the P&R. Right now he's just in the game for defense and rebounding. He's a non factor on offense. With a training camp and tweaks to the offensive system he could be utilized much better in the future.
lol at those trashing his FT% you do realize he's 2-7 or something. that's like judging a pitchers ERA after 2 starts
Hahaha, if you want me to post something about some other rookie, let me know... don't hesitate to ask!
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/Sophomores-130102/nba-sophomore-20-ranking-best-second-year-players The top 20 second-year players Forget about what they did as rooks; which NBA sophomores are soaring? Originally Published: January 2, 2013 By David Thorpe | Scouts Inc. Sometimes we need only a week, or a month, or a season to see just how special a player can be. That, however, is rare. More commonly we need more time to see a player's path. Young players can be up one month and down the next, with all sorts of variables impacting their success and failure. And if they were good as rookies, that doesn't assure a promising career arc; nor does a bad first year doom them to a short career. Here's a snapshot of how the 2011-12 rookies are doing as sophomores, with no regard to what happened last season. Sadly, with Ricky Rubio only recently joining the Timberwolves and not yet close to being fully recovered, an already short class of talent looks even shorter. The Superstar 1. Kyrie Irving, Cavaliers There is Irving and there is everyone else. This class didn't look like it would produce many stars when it entered the NBA, and because Irving played only 11 games in college because of injury, there was doubt that even the top pick was going to be special. Pretty quickly, though, Irving proved that he was going to be very good, then he proved to be even better than that. Recently, we wrote about (and discussed on TrueHoop TV) the different types of elite point guards in this league, and Irving was mentioned as the player with an incredible skills game -- he ranks amongst the league's best as both a ballhandler and shooter, while doing the same as a shotmaker/scorer. He's basically an offensive machine who is matched by few of his peers. Put it another way: If he had the athleticism of Russell Westbrook or Derek Rose, Irving would be right up there with LeBron James and Kevin Durant in the running for the "World's Best" title. As it is, he's clearly someone who can compete for an MVP award once his franchise catches up to him and surrounds him with better and more experienced talent. Strong starters or rotation players 2. Kenneth Faried, Nuggets It's possible that, pound for pound and inch for inch, Faried is the quickest athlete in the NBA without the ball and the player who plays with the most energy. He is relentless when chasing rebounds, either in the air or on the ground, and is the only player among the NBA's top 15 rebounders listed under 6-foot-9. For a long time, I have taught and said that the first guy to the ball wins in the NBA -- as opposed to college and high school, where the stronger player can get the ball from the guy quicker to the ball -- and Faried is that guy almost every chance he gets. He has also become an adept scorer inside because he's finding more creases there, and his mid-range jumper is vastly improved (almost doubling his percentage from 10-15 feet, to 38). Faried still struggles to find stretch-4s behind the 3-point line, especially in transition, because he's so focused on protecting the paint. But that part of his game will come. 3. Chandler Parsons, Rockets Parsons gets the award for the most unlikely guy to appear so high on this list. For three years at Florida, he mostly slept-walked through games relative to his talent. But winning player of the year in the SEC as a senior proved to him that he could excel in a league of athletes, and he has not slowed down since. Parsons had an impressive rookie campaign, and he is better basically everywhere on the floor now for the fast-paced Rockets. Parsons often plays like a shutdown wing defender, but he is not yet strong enough to do it nightly. His ability and size allows him to excel often as a power forward and his improved free throw shooting, willingness to move the ball and good ball-handling for someone so tall makes him a real plus on the offensive end. These skills and physical talents combine into a long-time NBA starter. 4. Kemba Walker, Bobcats Walker is a great example of how different the pro game is from the college version. He is an excellent mid-range shooter with exceptional dribbling skills and dynamic attack moves. He's also become a steady hand at the point, with few turnovers and a decent feel for when and how to move the ball. But he can't come close to dominating the game the way he did at the college level, one small reason why his team has been so horrific since he's been there. He's proven to be a defensive liability on the worst defensive team in the league, which is also problematic. But there's no getting around the fact that he is surrounded with mostly "not ready for the NBA" teammates who hurt his overall cause, and despite them he is still a better-than-average player. On a better team, his talent would stand out more. 5. Kawhi Leonard, Spurs If you want to see the opposite of what Kemba Walker is suffering through, I give you Leonard. From Day One, Leonard was given a blueprint for success with immense talent surrounding him. He is almost never on the floor without Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, or Tony Parker, and is frequently playing with at least two of them. But the Spurs need him as much as he needs them. Leonard has become one of the top wing defenders in the league, capable of impacting the game individually with steals, blocks, the way he can bother a team's top scorer and with his efforts at helping the Spurs build a solid defensive wall around the rim and the 3-point line. He is integral to the success of one of the top teams in the NBA. 6. Nikola Vucevic, Magic The Magic hoped Vucevic could hold down a rotation spot, and he has exceeded anyone's expectations. We must remember Vucevic started well as a rookie in Philadelphia before whispers of "soft" and "hates to go inside" were heard and he fell out of favor with Doug Collins. It's a different story in Orlando -- not a 180-degree change but enough of one where he's now a viable rotation guy. Vucevic is spending a lot more time in the paint on both ends of the court, so he's rebounding much better and he's finishing pick-and-roll cuts well, especially late in possessions. 7. Tristan Thompson, Cavaliers If you have followed the careers of J.J. Hickson, JaVale McGee and DeAndre Jordan, you can better understand why some people, including myself and the Cavs' brass, are still so high on TT. He is just now learning how to read the game, and he's averaging almost a double-double (9.2 points, 8.5 rebounds a game). Thompson is also a good defender who shows potential to be great. He still struggles with finishing, because he's not taking his time to explode and he's always been weak. But as he gets stronger, he'll be able to muscle his way through contact, and thus be able to slow down and gather sometimes before finishing. Good-to-great shooters still working on being good players 8. Klay Thompson, Warriors There were arguments this summer that Thompson and a healthy Steph Curry could form the best shooting backcourt in the NBA. From behind the 3-point line, that may be true, as Thompson has proved to have a quick and accurate trigger on catch-and-shoots from deep. He's not nearly as effective on any other shot, though, and has not done much else beyond the shooting to show he's more than a one-trick pony. But with the Warriors playing well, Thompson will have plenty of chances to show he has more to his game. 9. Brandon Knight, Pistons Like Thompson, Knight has proven that he has one very special skill: He can really shoot the deep shot. He's up to 41 percent this season after a strong 38 percent from 3 last season, which is impressive. But he has not yet learned how to manage the game and to make easy passes/assists without being somewhat turnover-prone. Knight recently turned 21 and is known for his special work ethic and intelligence, so there is plenty of reason to believe he'll improve a good deal. One side note: I've always thought he was going to be like Chauncey Billups, whose PER at age 21 happens to be the same as Knight's now (12.7). 10. Jimmer Fredette, Kings Fredette came into the league as a scintillating scorer, but experts thought he'd be more of a shooting specialist rather than a top scorer in this league. This season, with better shot selection and far more balance in his game, Fredette looks like he's going to be one of the top shooters in this league for years. As a backup he has adjusted to his role as a shooting specialist, and perhaps has earned the right to get more minutes and responsibility moving forward. There is not a team in the NBA that does not value, or need, a shooter like Fredette. 11. Marcus Morris, Rockets At Kansas, where he was one of the top players in America, Morris was among the best low-post scorers. For whatever reason, his coach in Houston, Kevin McHale, had no trust in him as a player and Morris ended up not doing much as a rookie. But he's recently entered the starting lineup and his very good long-range shooting and overall hustle have been a nice part of the Rockets' surge in the standings. He is playing more power forward than small forward, his position of choice, so he needs to rebound better to keep his starting job. Best of the rest 12. Derrick Williams, Timberwolves Making incremental improvements from an average rookie year, Williams still does not have a position, though playing both forward spots has value going forward. He needs to find a home before he can excel. 13. Enes Kanter, Jazz Kanter is scoring more from inside and outside and coming off the best scoring month of his career (7.8 ppg). His rebounding, though, has dropped some, which is concerning considering he looked like he was going to be great at it. 14. Jimmy Butler, Bulls Butler is becoming a solid "glue guy" who makes good decisions and keeps the ball in the hands of players who can do something with it. There is real value in playing that way since he is also a good defender. He is a consistent deep shot away from being a strong rotation player. 15. Isaiah Thomas, Kings He can come in and light up the scoreboard as if he's the hardest guy in the league to defend. But Thomas rarely gets those chances because he is a bad defender on a terrible defensive team. 16. Lavoy Allen, 76ers Philly fans hoped he would build on his surprising rookie run, but he hasn't. Allen is not shooting or defending as well as he did a year ago, probably because Elton Brand is not there anymore. 17. Markieff Morris, Suns A stretch-4 who has not yet proven to be a consistent deep shooter. And living behind the line takes away offensive rebounding opportunities, which limits his overall game. Lately, he's struggling to make the few free throws he gets. 18. Bismack Biyombo, Bobcats Biyombo has not yet learned how to do much other than block shots and patrol the paint. He would probably look and play much better if he was on a stronger team that knew how to cater to his limited skill set. 19. Tobias Harris, Bucks Started the season strongly, scoring well in limited chances, but Harris did not play much in December (elbow injury and DNP-CDs). He has the look of a good scorer and is still just 20 years old. T-20. Gustavo Ayon, Magic He's not having the same impact that he did in New Orleans as a rookie. But he's still a serviceable end-of-the-rotation big because he defends well. T-20. E'Twaun Moore, Magic Effective combo guard who has answered the call numerous times when he's earned extended minutes. He's shooting the 3 well and playing within himself, which is just what he needs to do.
Am I the only one who likes to pronounce Parsons like this: <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DJNedXRurSI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> ?
