David Fizdale Says Chandler Parsons and LeBron James Have The Same Skill Set

The Memphis Grizzlies have high hopes for their 2016 free agent acquisition, Chandler Parsons, and new head coach David Fizdale envisions Parsons taking on a LeBron James-type role.

Fizdale, who was an assistant in Miami during the Big 3 era, told ESPN that Parsons and LeBron have “the same skill set:”

“When I said I want to play him like LeBron, I do,” Fizdale said. “I really do want to use him, because there’s not many guys in the League at that size that have that skill set, and there’s no reason why I should put a cap on his abilities because his name isn’t LeBron James. I just see the same skill set.

 

“He’s not a high flyer like LeBron obviously, but he can pass it, he can shoot the 3, he’s huge, he can post guys and he moves great without the basketball, so I can move him around in a lot of different spots. I do not want to put a ceiling on him. I want to see how far we can go with him and put him in a role that is positionless. … I think all it takes is a coach showing that he has the confidence in a guy to do it and develop him according to the system and then it can take place.”

Parsons signed a 4-year, $95 million deal with Memphis over the summer, just months after he underwent season-ending knee surgery.  The 27-year-old participated in limited contact work during last week’s practice, but it is unclear if he will be ready to go to start the season.

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