National Basketball Association

Chandler Parsons to make season debut against Portland Trail Blazers

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

The wait is finally over for Memphis Grizzlies fans: $94 million man Chandler Parsons will finally be taking the court as the Grizzlies host the Portland Trail Blazers Sunday afternoon.

Fresh off a stellar outing against the L.A. Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley will have his hands full again, lining up across from Portland’s Dame Lillard Sunday afternoon. Both teams enter the contest sporting 3-3 records and are looking to keep their noses above the .500 threshold.

The Grizzlies’ offense has been lackluster as of late, scoring only 163 points in regulation of their last two games, a trend that’ll need to end against a team with as dynamic of scorers as the Trail Blazers.

Luckily, the Memphis Grizzlies’ offense is set add a new dynamic as Chandler Parsons, who signed a 4-year, $94 million deal during the summer, will make his season debut after sitting out the preseason and opening slate of games due to ongoing knee rehabilitation.

He was originally going to make his debut on Nov. 8, but after a strong workout on Friday, Parsons decided it was time to get started. He texted ESPN, saying he “Felt great in workout. I’m ready to rock,” and that there was “No reason to wait.”

Parsons had a .589 true shooting percentage last year per Basketball-Reference.com and will look to bring efficiency to an offense that has been otherwise lacking—that is, from players logging consistent minutes not named Mike Conley. The new-look 3-point shooting offense should only be boosted with addition the Parsons, who hit 41.4 percent of his attempts from long-range last year. The Grizzlies are currently 12th in the NBA in 3-point percentage at 35.9.

How David Fizdale elects to use Parsons is still unknown. JaMychal Green seems to have cemented his spot in the starting lineup, at least for the time being, meaning Parsons will likely replace James Ennis as the starting small forward. Parsons played roughly two-thirds of his minutes at the 3 last year.

The Trail Blazers lead the all-time series 34-44.