Discussing the surprising production of Chandler Parsons has been a frequent topic on this blog. Maybe comparing him to Corey Brewer is extreme, but what about Duke University’s Kyle Singler?

Both are small forwards playing at established programs. Both were highly recruited coming out of high school. Both have rather cherubic visages. However, Singler has gotten considerably more attention coming out of high school, and has been touted as a legit NBA prospect in the coming years. It sure does look like a no contest.

But remember, it only looks like a no contest. Per 40 minutes:

Points:

Singler 18.56
Parsons 15.75

Rebounds:

Singler 8.15
Parsons 7.69

Steals:

Singler 1.48
Parsons 0.97

Blocks:

Singler 1.03
Parsons 0.43

Assists:

Parsons 2.74
Singler 1.98

Yeah, I probably look like a complete idiot right about now. But as we shall soon see, Ky-Sing is not without weaknesses.

Points:

Laying aside scoring numbers, let’s have a look-see at what happens per shot:

Points per field goal attempt:

Parsons 1.106
Singler 1.060

Field goal percentage:

Parsons 47.2%
Singler 45.7%

3-point percentage:

Singler 34%
Parsons 32.4%

Free throw percentage:

Singler 77.4%
Parsons 62.7%

When it comes to creating shot opportunities, Parsons is actually slightly better at doing so than Singler. But Singler converts more from the line. As a result, he gets the ball in his hands inside the paint more often. It goes without saying that this should be near the top of the list on offseason improvement for Chandler.

Rebounds, steals, blocks:

They are what they are. As for the rebounds, let me say only this:

Duke didn’t have a big man last year. As a result, Singler had to make the jump from 3 to 4 or 5 an awful lot. Which entails more boards.

Assists:

Here’s where the comparisons get REALLY interesting:

Turnovers:

Parsons 1.94
Singler 3.06

Assist-turnover ratio:

Parsons 1.42
Singler 0.64

In other words, Singler is a more physically gifted athlete than Parsons. If they played a casual game of one-on-one, Singler would win hands down.

However, he has a tendency to trust his athleticism a little too much, not getting other teammates involved.

As a result, if one were to credit 2 “points” to a player for every assist he had, Parsons would score 21.23 per 40 minutes, while Singler would get 22.52; a much closer race than 18.56/15.75.

Furthermore, one number hurt him more than anything else: 104.

104 personal fouls to Parson’s 60. With 4.28 whistles per 40 minutes, Singler is is a ref’s worst nightmare, even with Duke’s infamous reputation of getting calls.

As a result, his .199 WS/Min is lower than Parsons’s .212. And his lack of passing, increased fumbling, and constant hacking should be a red flag for any NBA team that chooses to draft him. It’s early, but Singler is developing some bad habits.

Which means Parsons may not be that bad after all.