The 2017-18
NBA season is only on game old, but
Memphis Grizzlies fans are already growing restless with
Chandler Parsons.
Although the Grizzlies captured a 103-91 win over the
New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night at FedExForum, Parsons heard boos from the crowd as he mustered six points on 2-of-2 shooting from the field and 1-of-5 shooting from the free-throw line.
As it turns out, those jeers didn't sit well with the swingman.
"It's tasteless," Parsons said, according to the
Commercial Appeal's
Geoff Calkins. "I'll treat home games like road games if that's the way it's going to be."
Grizzlies center
Marc Gasol was also turned off by the fans' actions and said that booing Parsons "is like booing Mike [Conley] or booing myself," per
Calkins.
Now in his second season with the Grizzlies, the pressure is on Parsons to live up to a four-year, $94 million max deal that didn't pay dividends during an injury-riddled 2016-17 campaign.
Following a productive two-year stint with the
Dallas Mavericks, Parsons was limited to 34 games last season because of recurring knee issues, including a partial meniscus tear. As a result, he averaged a career-low 6.2 points per game on 33.8 percent shooting from the field and 26.9 percent shooting from three.
Parsons has since been shifted into a bench role, where he will try to operate as a microwave scorer and floor-spacing small-ball 4.
"Sometimes, contracts put a ton of pressure on you," head coach David Fizdale said before the start of the season, according to the
Commercial Appeal's
Ronald Tillery. "Now, it's about getting back to enjoying the game, and being able to play night in and night out."
https://twitter.com/GrizzliesOnFSSE/status/920856450892644352
https://twitter.com/GrizzliesOnFSSE/status/920856450892644352