Sam Amick

USA TODAY Sports

It was early New Year’s Eve in Sacramento, a table full of postgame food getting colder by the minute and a plane that would take Chandler Parsons and his Memphis Grizzlies teammates to Los Angeles in time for the revelry warming up on a nearby strip.

If ever there was a time for cutting to the chase in a postgame chat with a reporter, in other words, this was it. Especially when the 28-year-old who had his last two seasons cut short by right knee injuries had just endured another frustrating night on this road to recovery.

Of the seven shots he took in 16 minutes of a win against the Kings – two converted layups, a three that was short but bounced up and in, and four misses from long range that were either way short, way long or to the right – none sent the message that he was back. The latest tally, with Parsons’ latest setback a bone bruise on his left knee that cost him more than a month before his Dec. 21 return: He’s shooting 34.7% overall and 20% from three-point range in 11 games, all while suffering through a playing time restriction that, however well-reasoned, is enough to drive him mad.

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“I mean, it’s awful,” Parsons told USA TODAY Sports about his shot as he headed for the exits of the Golden 1 Center. “It’s flat. I’m not in game shape. I’m obviously not hitting at a high rate, and I’ve been an efficient player my entire career. But it’s the law of averages, man. Let me keep playing. I ain’t gonna shoot this bad for the rest of the year.”

As New Year’s resolutions go, Parsons’ is the kind of lofty goal that could make him a fascinating X factor come playoff time. If he can eventually return to form, giving the Grizzlies the scoring and playmaking they envisioned when they signed him to a four-year, $94 million maximum salary deal in July, then Memphis (22-14, sixth place in the Western Conference) just might be good enough to put a scare into the NBA’s elite.

Can he return to form?

It was the 2013-14 season when he was at his best, averaging 16.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4 assists for the Houston Rockets and making a major impact in the first-round playoff loss against Portland (19.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists in six games). He played a big enough part in the Dallas Mavericks’ success the past two seasons that owner/friend Mark Cuban would listen to him on personnel decisions, even with the injuries that ultimately led to his departure. And as great as the Grizzlies are defensively (tops in the NBA in defensive rating), the fact is that they’ll need an offensive boost if they’re to be taken seriously come late April (currently 23rd in offensive rating).

“Slowly but surely, we’re just bringing him along and just letting him get his sea legs under him,” said Grizzlies first-year coach David Fizdale, who has Parsons playing between 12 and 15 minutes per game and resting on the second night of back-to-back sets. “Hopefully as we move through the season and he can stay healthy, we keep extending his minutes a little more at a time.

“We can’t risk, for a couple games here or there, the big picture. And the big picture is going as deep as we can in this thing.”

But to watch Parsons now – post-microfracture surgery on May 1, 2015, and nine months removed from the procedure to repair torn meniscus in the same right knee – is to wonder how long it might take for him to bridge this gap between where he is now and what he once was. And after a summer in which his plans of re-signing with the Mavericks were derailed by the kinds of concerns that have so far been validated, it makes for quite the underdog tale.

“It takes time, being away for that long,” said Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, who played 54 games last season because of a broken right foot. “Obviously most of his shots are short. He already shoots it a little flat, but a lot of it is short.

“Just patience. Keep working at it, and one day you’re going to feel like you don’t know why but the ball starts going in. And you see the ball go in, and you build that confidence up, and don’t stress it. Just keep going. Keep doing what you’re doing.”

Facing criticism

As is so often the case in today’s age, the cynics – as evidenced by the recent fan feedback gathered by Grizzlies beat writer Ron Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal on Twitter – are ruthless.

“Chandler Parsons is the equivalent to a burglar, breaks in and takes your money and destroys your house,” one fan wrote.

“World class athletes should play more than 15 minutes a game if healthy enough to play …” wrote another.

“What a waste of money,” wrote another.

For Parsons’ part, he has taken the self-effacing route on social media. On Dec. 2, when a fan asked him what he wanted for Christmas, Parsons offered a brutally honest response: “Healthy knees.”

“Social media is their outlet to talk (expletive) and be negative,” he said. “That’s the world of sports. Obviously I want to be playing 30, 35 minutes (per game), and I expect to be by the end of the season. And I have no doubt I can get back (to peak form).

“People said I couldn’t get back after the first microfracture, and I averaged 20 (points) and six (rebounds) for three months and played the best basketball of my life after the most serious surgery you can probably have as an NBA player. So obviously I enjoy the struggle right now, I enjoy getting back in shape and playing in games. It just makes the success that I’ll have that much sweeter.”

A painful process

Every so often, the patience wanes.

“Just the other day, he wanted to fight through his minute restriction (in a game),” Grizzlies guard Tony Allen told USA TODAY Sports. “I saw him get red, and I saw him get upset, kicking the chairs, so I yelled back at the coach – ‘Let him play. Let him fight back. Let him find his rhythm.’ But (Grizzlies officials) know, the doctors and training staff know best, so patience is a virtue.”

One that Parsons swears he has.

“They’re being very cautious with it obviously, and it’s something where I’m glad I went through it last year because now I know let it frustrate me as much,” Parsons said. “As a competitor, you want to play. You want to help us win. (Expletive), they’re paying me a lot of money to help the team win, and it’s like telling a doctor to finish a surgery in 12 minutes. You’re not going to do a great job.”

The good news, in Parsons’ eyes, is that his left knee feels good again and the surgeons who worked on his right knee twice took their time to get the job right. Eventually, as long as he can avoid any return trips to the doctor’s office and build his way back over the course of these next few months, he’s convinced it will all be worth it – again.

“As frustrated as I am playing 12 to 15 minutes, and no back-to-backs for a month or two, I think it’s a smart thing to do,” Parsons said. “If I’m playing my best basketball around the playoffs, we’re going to be a tough team to beat.”

Follow Sam Amick on Twitter @Sam_Amick