Chandler Parsons steps up off the bench to help Grizzlies down Rockets
So far, the team to be this season isn’t the Cavs, Warriors or any of the other usual suspects, it’s the Memphis Grizzlies. Through six games, they’ve stayed true to heart of their grit and grind style and played nearly perfect textbook basketball.
Their defense is suffocating as usual, but it’s their ability to put points on the board that’s opened eyes this season. While it’s easy to discount records prematurely, it should be noted that their opponents haven’t been just any run of the mill schmucks. The Grizzles NBA leading 5-1 record comes at the hands of wins over Golden State, New Orleans and Houston.
All the aforementioned teams are playoff contenders, the Rockets are conference title hopefuls, and the Warriors are the title favorites. So just how have the underdog Memphis Grizzlies given the league a wakeup call?
It starts with their underrated head coach David Fizdale, who at 43 is one of the brightest young coaching minds in all of basketball, and it ends with their under appreciated franchise cornerstones Marc Gasol and Mike Conley Jr. Together, they’ve overcome the losses of Tony Allen, Vince Carter and Zach Randolph and made up for the deficit with their off the charts basketball IQ and willingness to do whatever duty is required of them.
You wouldn’t call it good fortune, but low expectations, new opportunities provided by the mass exodus of rotation players, and injuries have all laid the foundation for Memphis to exceed any dismal preseason predictions made by NBA experts. Perhaps the greatest story for this Grizzlies squad is that of a recovering Chandler Parsons.
Parsons was berated by a heavy helping of boos upon his first appearance in the Grizzlies season opener, only to find himself heralded as the hero of their most recent win. Riding the momentum of his fiery scoring stint of the bench against Houston, Memphis was able to take down the Rockets 103-89 in convincing fashion.
Not only was Parsons integral to sparking the Memphis offense, but his performance was great for raising his confidence coming off yet another season marred by injuries. The oft injured point forward is sure to face his fair share of struggles to stay healthy, but if he can avoid falling victim to another untimely exit, he could become an indispensable piece in the Grizzlies playoff picture.
