The Houston Rockets made a draft day steal in 2011. In the 2nd round with the 38th overall selection they snatched up 6’9” SF Chandler Parsons. The University of Florida Gator played for coach Billy Donovan for 4 years and was named the SEC Player of The Year in 2011.
During the lockout shortened 2011-2012 season, Parsons played in 63 of the 66 games and started in 57 of them. He averaged 9.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.1 apg and 1.2 spg In 28.6 mpg. Parsons ranked 10th in scoring among his fellow freshmen, and he was named to the 2012 NBA All-Rookie 2nd Team.
So far this season after 13 contests, the 24-year old native Floridian is averaging 37.8 mpg, 15.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.5 apg and 1.1 spg. Parsons is also hitting 2.4 three pointers per game while shooting .413% from behind the arc.
Parsons has season highs of 31 points, 13 boards, 6 dimes (2X) and 4 steals. And in the Rockets’ last game against the Knicks, the standout sophomore connected on 13 of 17 FG attempts, including 4 of 7 from long range.
Last season the Rockets just missed the playoffs with a 34-32 record. But the Rockets have revamped their roster, adding Jeremy Lin at the 1, James Harden at the 2 and Omer Asik at the 5. With a core group of young players, Houston should continue to make strides as the season progresses. And with the overall team improvement, look for Parsons’ numbers to go up across the board as he and his new teammates get more comfortable playing together.
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