03-04 was also pretty close to when the league bottomed out in terms of pace and scoring efficiency.
Parker might have only averaged an extra assist per game, but per 100 possessions, he averaged 8.6 to Sexton’s career-high 6.1 (he’s a hair under 5 for his career). Parker would average somewhere between 9-12.4 each season over the course of the next decade.
That’s a pretty stark difference. Parker might not have been Steve Nash, but calling him “not a great playmaker” is just a lie.
ETA: Also, as bad as his scoring efficiency looks, that was league average in 03-04, same as Collin in 20-21, and the Spurs won 57 games.