Will Florida’s Chandler Parsons Find Success In The NBA?

Every year; same amount of intensity, blood, sweat and tears pour out of young kids during their college basketball careers. Some teams find success, others find the nearest bus home to do it all over again next season after losing in the tournament. Some individuals have great college careers – even putting  their team on their back for most of the season – but end up failing to make the transition to the next level (i.e. Adam Morrison). What about the players in-between? What about guys like Chandler Parsons? He was a great college player during his four years at Florida, had good teammates around him but just couldn’t quite get over that hump against teams the Gators should have beaten.

Guys like Chandler fit this description perfectly: You can play your heart out but not everyone gets a ring, though.

I’ve watched Parsons give nothing but 100 percent effort during his four years under head coach Billy Donovan (who called him one of the greatest players he’s ever coached). He first came to Gainesville alongside his former high school teammate and best friend, Nick Calathes (who’s currently playing in Greece for Panathinaikos). Chandler was still raw, couldn’t create his own shot and wasn’t the established all-around player that he is now. When Nick was there, he had it somewhat easy. Calathes was such an outstanding passer that Parsons relied on him for good looks. But after he left, Chandler became his own man. He became a leader – vocally and physically – and finally established a shot of his own. Every team in the league needs a leader; whether it’s coming from the starting lineup or off the bench, a team can’t function without someone to keep emotions in tact.

As Chandler grew into Florida’s leader, both offensively and defensively as well, he also grew. Literally. During his freshman season, Parsons stood 6-foot-8 with a frail 180-pound frame. But as his season rolled around, Parsons was suddenly a 6-foot-10 (with shoes) muscular specimen. When I interned with Dime Magazine last summer, I caught up with Chandler for an interview and when I asked him about his summer plans, he had this to say: “..I spent a lot of time in the weight room getting stronger and faster.” That right there is hard work and dedication. The crazy thing is, it seems like he’s continuously growing. Who knows, maybe by next year or the following year, he could be standing at 6-foot-11 or even seven-foot.

Although his points per game took a dip this season to 11.3 – a full point less than the prior years 12.4 – Parsons still managed to be named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, which just so happens to be Florida’s first SEC Player of the Year award in school history (crazy, right?). But that’s not what Chandler’s known for. He was never a true “scorer.” He led the team in both assists (3.8) and rebounds (7.8) this season, which is just outstanding. When I watch him play, he reminds me a little of Larry Bird due to his ability to impact games as a facilitator from the forward position (kinda like LeBron James, just nowhere near as athletic).

Calathes was a true point guard. Erving Walker? Not so much. He has the mentality of a scoring guard but had the responsibility to try to get his teammates involved, similar to Russell Westbrook. That’s exactly what teams should be looking for when looking to use up a first round draft pick on a player. Florida didn’t have a true point guard the last two seasons, so what does Billy Donovan do? He has the offense run through his forward. He’ll get you that extra rebound, he’ll go out of his way to make that extra pass. Need a clutch shot from anywhere on the court? Parsons is your guy (see N.C. State buzzer-beater & South Carolina). I’m sure most scouts, along with myself, noticed Parsons flirtation with a triple-double in Florida’s opening round win against UC Santa Barbara: 10 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in 27 minutes. What about his 17 point, 12 rebound and five assists in a losing effort against Kentucky?

Despite all of those rather outstanding qualities, like most players, there are some negatives to be weighed. I recently caught up with Andy Hutchins – Current editor of Alligator Army – where he gave me his take on the positives and negatives of Chandler’s game.

Positives:

Chandler Parsons entered the 2010-11 season as Florida’s best player in nearly every way — he was the most talented, most proven, most trustworthy in the clutch, and most versatile. But it took SEC schedule for him to live up to that mantle, and he shrank from it again in the NCAA Tournament.

Parsons, at his best, is a playmaker with a Swiss Army knife’s skill set: He can shoot from distance, he can rebound like a demon — his uncanny putback skills developed out of nowhere this year — and he has some impressive handles and vision.

Negatives:

Parsons putting that all together, though, is rare, and his drawbacks are significant: He looked weirdly spent at times in his senior season, and lacks the lateral quickness to guard NBA small forwards routinely. Can he be a productive NBA player?

Sure, especially if his leadership and work ethic impress a team enough to draft and develop him. But I wouldn’t expect Parsons to be starring out of the gate.

Andy makes great points, especially about the fatigue. Chandler did look overly exhausted the majority of his games this season. Maybe it was because of the added weight (180 pounds to 225 his senior season)? I don’t know the answer, only Chandler does. Like Hutchins said, if Parsons can make scouts fall in love with his leadership and work ethic, one lucky team might end up with easily the biggest steal in this years NBA Draft. I can write how easy it is, but it’s up to Chandler to show it. Lucky for Parsons, the Indiana Pacers second-year player Paul George has been working with him this summer out in Fresno, which ESPN’s Chad Ford was in attendance for.

From Ford:

Parsons really surprised me. I knew he was skilled and athletic for a 6-foot-10 player. But he showed aggressiveness that I just hadn’t seen at Florida (video here). He went head-to-head with George for an hour. George is better, but Parsons held his own. He showed the ability to take George off the dribble to the rim, rise up and hit jumpers over George’s freakishly long arms and most importantly he made a number of spell-binding passes to Thomas. Parsons’ decision-making in the sets was fantastic. So was his shooting. He was hitting just about every shot he took and showed range out to the NBA 3-point line.

Parsons length, to me, has always been his best ability. He can easily take advantage of mismatches and even match-up against guys who are bigger than him due to his length. He might not have top-notch speed, but he can keep up with guys who are not named Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo, ect., which still leaves many great players he could have the possibility of guarding. A team like Chicago — who is looking for a shooting guard and/or small forward — could be a team that’s interested in the four-year starter. He’s young and would be on a rookie contract, and could provide the Bulls with a defensive upgrade over Kyle Korver at the three. I guess we’ll find out come June.