New Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons has added some bulk this offseason. While some might see it as added strength, perhaps as an attempt to back up Dirk Nowitzki at power forward, coach Rick Carlisle is of the belief, “One man’s bulking up, is another man’s not quite in shape yet.” That’s what Carlisle told Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, but the coach is sure Chandler will get in shape soon.
Carlisle has been around the block as a coach. We secretly think he’s one of the more underrated coaches in the NBA and it was his play calling and rotational ingenuity that pushed the Spurs to a Game 7 in Dallas’ opening round series last season — the only team to really take a chunk out of the Spurs during the NBA’s second season.
So Carlisle understands that some guys are gonna play into shape during camp and preseason, rather than come in fit as a fiddle. Plus, Carlisle knows he can run Parsons ragged during practice. It was a challenging tone when Carlisle answered Sefko’s question about whether Parsons was in the shape he needed to be, by saying, “He will be shortly.”
Still, Carlisle understands what a hectic schedule Parsons had during the offseason, which might account for those few extra pounds.
“This summer, he didn’t work out during his free-agency period, which is smart,” said Carlisle. “I wouldn’t recommend him doing that, either.
“When he got to USA [Basketball] he was at a point where he was getting in shape. And he still was right there to make the team.”
Carlisle also understands Parsons’ body is more a reflection of the type of working out he did over the summer, rather than any sort of indolence.
“In fairness, he’s worked on his strength,” Carlisle told Sefko. “He’s gotten stronger. So he’s going to be a little heavier than he was last year. But for him to be able to guard some of the guys he’s got to guard at the 3 spot [small forward], he’s going to need to be in great condition. And he’ll get there quickly.”
We saw a pic of Parsons, via reddit, that made him look like he had gotten pretty jacked over the summer:
Then again, as some of the r/NBA community point out, another recent Mavs acqusition, Ray Felton, is looking a tad pudgy in that pic as well. As we know, Felton has struggled with his conditioning in the past, so we’re guessing Parsons isn’t the only Mav who will be running a few extra wind sprints in camp.
Is Parsons stronger, or out of shape?
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