Chandler Parsons appeared destined to be a bust for his latest team, through no fault of his own. A week ago, Memphis Grizzlies fans were booing the small forward as he stepped up to the free throw line. Generally, that's a very bad sign for a player who was signed to a contract as high as it could possibly go at the time. But on Saturday night - perhaps for one night only - Parsons was able to turn it around and give the fans a performance worthy of his stature...and his contract.

Grizzlies reap the benefit

Injuries have been the main factor that have derailed Parsons' time in Memphis, but there was little doubt that he could be a top contributor when healthy.

He showed that on Saturday against one of his former teams, the Houston Rockets. He dropped 24 points on them, though he didn't contribute much in the other counting statistical categories. Nevertheless, he was the lead scorer on the team by a long shot in the 103-89 victory. In fact, only one starter finished the night in double digits; Jarell Martin scored 10 points.

Coming off the bench allows Parsons to soak in the tempo of the game before he succumbs to it. On Saturday, he was quick to get into a shooting rhythm. He knocked down six of his eight three point attempts, his most since February 2016. His 24 points were also his most since March 2016. If he can shoot like that going forward, the Memphis fans will stop booing and start cheering their prodigal free agent signing.

Parsons is back

After two seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, Parsons signed a four-year max contract with the Grizzlies in the summer of 2016, expecting to become the team's newest high-powered scorer to go along with the gritty backbone of the team. But there was a known problem before that was to happen - the knee injury that ended his 2015-16 campaign in Dallas.

The knee problems lingered on and off destroying his 2015-16 season.

Four games

So far, he has played in four games this season, missing one to rest during a back-to-back. He was averaging just 5.5 points per game during those contests, but Saturday's performance will bump that up to 10 points per game, including 2.5 three-pointers made per game.

Parsons just has to prove that Saturday wasn't an outlier - he's ready to be an All-Star. His next chance to make his point will come on Monday night, when the Grizzlies host the Charlotte Hornets in an attempt to keep their grip on their Western Conference throne.
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