After an ankle injury kept Chandler Parsons out of the last seven games, where the Mavs went 3-4, he returned for Dallas’ trip to Staples Center last night, and it wasn’t a moment too soon. We’re guessing Lakers forward Ryan Kelly wished Parsons had come back one game later.
The Mavs score 109.7 points per 100 possessions when Chandler’s on the floor, and only 104.2 when he’s off. That differential is the same as the one between the top offense in the league and falling outside the top 10.
While Chandler’s presence back in the lineup isn’t a cure-all for Dallas’ scoring woes, all the lopsided discussions about Rajon Rondo’s shooting so drastically affecting Dallas’ floor spacing fails to take into account Chandler’s presence on the wing.
Despite going just 1-of-5 from beyond the arc last night for 11 points (he also never turned the ball over in 35 minutes of action), Parsons has improved his accuracy from deep after going through a bitter cold stretch at the beginning of his tenure in Dallas. He’s knocking down 37.2 percent of his three’s — more in line with his career mark of 37.1 — even though he’s attempting more per game (5.3) than he ever has before.
But it wasn’t his shooting that had Kelly slipping all over the floor like a puppet that’s gotten away from his marionette.
