Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

ANALYSIS:

Elijah Parquet could be defensive playmaker for UNLV basketball

Elijah Parquet

Rick Scuteri / Associated Press

Colorado guard Elijah Parquet (24) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Arizona State, Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, in Tempe, Ariz.

It was always unlikely that UNLV would be able to replace the offensive production of Bryce Hamilton and Donovan Williams, the wing duo that combined to average 34.5 points per game last season before deciding to try their luck in the pros. But there is more than one way to win basketball games, and Kevin Kruger is counting on an alternate approach to pay off in 2022-23.

Instead of seeking 1-for-1 replacements for his departed swingmen, Kruger has brought in a stable of defensive-minded players in hopes that their collective contributions — on both ends of the floor — will make UNLV a better team overall.

That strategy led to the recruitment of veteran transfers Elijah Harkless (Oklahoma) and Luis Rodriguez (Mississippi), who bring a combined eight years of experience and strong defensive credentials to the table. And former Colorado guard Elijah Parquet sports a similarly impressive profile.

Like Harkless and Rodriguez, Parquet is a fifth-year senior who has racked up a ton of playing time in a power conference (105 career games, 57 starts), and he has been recognized for his work as a stopper (2020-21 Pac-12 All-Defensive Team).

Parquet’s on-ball defense is very good. He is quick enough to stay in front of his man, and he is difficult to screen, zipping around picks at top speed and never letting his opponent gain too much separation. And at 6-foot-4, Parquet knows how to use his long arms to impact the game — he constantly pokes at the ball without sacrificing his positioning, and he racks up deflections in man-to-man situations.

When opponents do manage to get a shot off against him, they’ve worked very hard to create it. And Parquet always gets a hand up to challenge:

Parquet excels away from the ball, too, turning in just as many splashy plays as when he’s on the ball.

His anticipation is strong and his instincts usually lead him to wherever the action is going down. He’ll peel off his man and step into a driving lane as a help defender, he’ll reach in on penetration, and, again, he is super adept at getting around screens and staying engaged:

In the four Colorado games I reviewed, Parquet piled up steals and blocks. For some reason it didn’t quite translate to the stat sheet, as he averaged just 0.8 steals and 0.7 blocks per contest in 2021-22, but defense is often difficult to quantify. The bottom line is, Parquet is a big plus on that end of the floor.

Offensively, Parquet had a limited role at Colorado. He mostly spotted up, moving from corner to corner to provide spacing. That didn’t work for him — he struggled mightily from beyond the arc, shooting 22.2% on 2.0 attempts per game.

Parquet’s form is not picture-perfect:

There is hope for a bounce-back, as Parquet did shoot 41.8% from deep in 2020-21, but that appears to be the outlier in his four-year collegiate career. In his other three campaigns he has combined to make 26.8%.

Parquet was not asked to handle the ball very much, and the results were not good when he put the ball on the floor.

His attempts to attack close-outs were fruitless; perhaps defenders didn’t respect his outside shot enough to fly out at full speed. But Parquet also committed a lot of unforced errors when driving on the catch, stepping out of bounds way too much (the kind of mistake that will drive a coach crazy).

Parquet only worked the point of attack two or three times per game in the contests I watched, and his attempts to dribble into a set defense were, again, not very productive:

Perhaps Parquet will have more success driving against Mountain West-caliber defenders, but unless he straightens out his jump shot, it looks like most of his value will come on the defensive end.

The good news is, it appears UNLV is prepared to play a style that is conducive to Parquet’s skill set. Kruger will likely ask him to be a defensive stopper on the wing and a ball mover on offense, and with a flock of veteran defensive-minded guards to support him, Parquet should be a nice fit.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

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