Chandler Parsons has been cleared to play by the Grizzlies’ medical staff but team management has decided to make him a ‘healthy-inactive’ for the foreseeable future, according to the Athletic’s, Shams Charania.
Sources: Memphis forward Chandler Parsons has been cleared to play by the team’s medical staff — which expected him to make his return this past Friday in Sacramento — but Grizzlies management has decided to make him a healthy-inactive for foreseeable future.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 24, 2018
Parsons was originally cleared to play for the Grizzlies in this past Friday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings. The forward hasn’t played since Oct. 19 in a win over the Atlanta Hawks due to a knee injury.
Since Parsons inked a four-year maximum contract worth $94.8 million with Memphis in 2016, he hasn’t exactly lived up to the expectations. Before signing the max with the Grizzlies, Parsons was averaging decent numbers as a starter for the Dallas Mavericks. In the 2015-16 season, he averaged 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists per game on 49.2 percent shooting and 41.4 percent from three.
Although Parsons’ shooting has remained decent since signing the max, his overall numbers have seen a steady decline. His struggles in his tenure with the Grizzlies could be directly blamed on his ‘bad luck’ as Parsons explained in his essay released by the Players’ Tribune in September.
In the essay, Parsons opened up about his struggle to stay healthy, affecting his play on the court.
So yeah, the injuries were bad luck. I got hurt, and I couldn’t play this sport I love. Being injured for multiple years in a row is just … it’s easy to fall into a dark place, and to become bitter, and to think that you’re never going to be able to get back to where you were before the injuries.
