Rookie Rankings Update (1/23): Who is Chandler Parsons?

Chandler Parsons, where did you come from?

            If you scroll down to the eighth spot in this week’s rankings, you’ll see a new name. A name you didn’t see hyped up in the draft and possibly may have never heard of. But this player is making waves for the Houston Rockets. His name is Chandler Parsons.

            It is a common misconception that top-level talent is only available in the first round. Players taken in the latter part of the first round and all of the second round are often considered draft-day fodder; another trade chip for a general manager to toss around. But if you look through the past handful of drafts, you’ll notice that this is far from the truth. Here are just several standouts who were selected in the 2^nd round: Gilbert Arenas, Carlos Boozer, Monta Ellis, Luis Scola, Manu Ginobili, Marc Gasol and Steve Kerr. And those names are just a small sample. It seems that each year there are a handful of 2^nd round standouts that wind up having lengthy and productive NBA careers. This year it looks as though Chandler Parsons is a true 2^nd round steal; the Rockets drafted him 38^th overall.

            So far this season Chandler Parsons has averaged 6.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Solid production for a rookie, but what’s more impressive is that his production has been trending upwards with each additional game he has played. He started the season finding it hard to get minutes and slowly has earned himself playing time. The Rockets currently find themselves on a six game winning streak, large in part to the play of role players such as Parsons. Against the Kings he went for 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 3 steals; against the Wizards he nearly got a double-double, going for 8 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks.

            It is a bit perplexing as to how players such as Parsons are overlooked by so many teams and wind up having so much value. That’s where Rockets’ GM Daryl Morey comes in. Morey is known for using advanced stats to assemble his teams, using a sort of “moneyball” approach. Throughout his tenure as Rockets’ GM he has consistently turned seemingly nothing into something. The Rockets have had a winning record in each of Morey’s first four seasons with the team, including two playoff appearances and one playoff series win. During this same stretch Morey traded Tracy McGrady and lost Yao Ming to an early retirement. In return he received sharpshooter Kevin Martin, a slew of role players and a large amount of cap room.

            I suppose the lesson to be learned from this is that we currently view the draft in a very close-minded fashion. Assuming all the talent will be taken in the lottery. But even from this years draft alone, where we have players such as Parsons and Norris Cole (taken in the late first round by the Miami Heat) making huge impacts for their teams, we may want to revise our approach to draft-day analysis and our rookie projections. For every lottery pick bust, there has been a 2^nd draft steal. Don’t believe the hype.

Rookie Rankings

1.    Ricky Rubio- Rubio continues to improve; now averaging 11 points, 8.3 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game. All while leading the Wolves to wins in four of their last six. LW: 1

2.    Kyrie Irving- Irving is leading all rookies in scoring and proving he was worth the number one overall selection in last year’s draft. Unfortunately, the Cavs have dropped four of their last five. LW: 2

3.    MarShon Brooks- Early in the year I criticized MarShon for not being able to contribute more than just a jump shot.  I’m not sure if he reads this column, but he has finally started to fill that stat sheet. On the year he is averaging 15.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game. LW: 5

4.    Iman Shumpert- Shump continues to play excellent ball for the Knicks, averaging 12.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.6 steals per game. The only problem is that the Knicks are on a six game slide. LW: 3

5.    Brandon Knight- Knight has been lights out for the Pistons and this finally translated to an impressive win over the Blazers on Saturday. With Knight and Greg Monroe paired up, the Pistons look to have a bright future. On the season Knight is averaging 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists. LW: 6

6.    Kemba Walker- The former UConn guard continues to put up the numbers but the Bobcats just cannot find a way to win. He’s going to be the building block and the future of this franchise as long as he can stay mentally tough through these growing pains. LW: 7

7.    Kawhi Leonard- With Manu Ginobili being out, Kawhi has recieved valable playing time and has not disappointed. After scoring 10-plus six games in a row, he has cooled off a bit. On the season he is averaging 7.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. LW: 4

8.    Chandler Parsons- His production has largely fluctuated with his playing time, but on the year Parsons is averaging 6.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. LW: NR

9.    Derrick Williams: The number two overall pick didn’t make the rankings last week due to a drop in his production. That drop was largely due to a drop in his playing time. Then, on Saturday, he gets 28 minutes of solid playing time and goes for 15 points and 8 rebounds. Somebody in Minny needs to make up their mind about this kid. LW: UR

10.  Tristan Thompson- The fourth overall pick finds himself riding the bottom of these rankings for the second straight week. He has begun to rebound more consistently. If only he could do the same offensively he would begin to rise in these rankings. On the year he is averaging 8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. LW: 10