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San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker was in the midst of one of the absolute and most complete seasons of his career before suffering an injury that caused him to miss a month. No that he’s back and the postseason is upon us, Parker will need to return to his MVP-level form for the Spurs to again become true Finals contenders.
Parker averaged 20.3 points and 7.6 assists while shooting .522 from the field during the regular season, only the second time in his career that he surpassed 20 points per game (2008-09) as well as second time dishing out more than seven assists a contest (2011-12). Only two other players in the NBA were able to average 20/7 per game: LeBron James and Russell Westbrook, putting Parker in rare company.
During the months of January and February is when Parker really turned it on, averaging 23.5 points and eight assists in 24 games over the two months before going down with a severely sprained ankle on March 1.
Parker hasn’t been nearly as productive since returning in late March. Since his return, Parker has only averaged 16.7 points on .442 shooting, both well below his overall regular season averages.
The Spurs will need Parker to show more of the form that he did prior to his injury if they are going to hold off the streaking Los Angeles Lakers. San Antonio is a formidable team but they don’t have any other perimeter players that can create their own shot, especially with Manu Ginobili appearing to be a non-factor for the series. Tony Parker will need to play at an all-star level every game, or the Spurs could fall victim to an upset at the hands of the Lakers.
