Washington’s Marquese Chriss is becoming the darling of the 2016 NBA Draft. He is rocketing up mock drafts. Many places now have Chriss slotted to go third or fourth overall. Here’s Trevor Andershock’s look at the strengths, weaknesses and projection of Marquese Chriss in the NBA.
Strengths
· Age
o 18 years old when drafted. He turns 19 July 2
o Plenty of time to develop
· Leaping Ability
o Max vertical jump of 38.5 inches at the combine
o Catches lobs around the basket with great frequency
o Leaping helped Chriss block 1.6 shots per game
· Potential As Shooter
o Shooting mechanics are smooth
o Good follow through and rotation on ball
o Could improve greatly on his 35% three-point accuracy
Weaknesses
· Limited Production Especially Rebounding
o Only averaged 13.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game
o Worrisome rebounding rates for a high selection
· Average/Below Average Defensively
o 4.1 fouls per game and 6.5 fouls per 40 minutes raise concerns
o Falls asleep off the ball frequently
o Not particularly quick from a lateral standpoint
· Wingspan
o Decent height (6’8.75”) but only 7’0.25” wingspan
o His wingspan is below small forward averages
o Puts him in a disadvantage in post and on the glass.
Physical
Marquese Chriss is very young as he enters the league. He will be 18 when he is drafted on June 23. Chriss turns 19 on July 2. That gives him many years of NBA experience before he should reach his ceiling. NBA teams like that potential.
The best physical tool that Chriss has is his jumping ability. He is a fantastic leaper especially in close spaces. He doesn’t need a running start to fly well above the rim for an alley oop. He has a maximum vertical jump of 38.5 inches at the combine. He does a good job as a runner as well. He gets up and down the floor with ease. That could put pressure on the rare bigger lineups.
The downside to Marquese Chriss is his arms. He only has a wingspan of approximately seven feet. That is long in the everyday world but short for NBA standards. Most power forwards in the NBA have wingspans in excess of 7’3”. That puts Chriss at a disadvantage when players are battling and have limited jumping ability.
Offense
When looking at the offensive clips of Chriss at Washington there are a few things that stick out. He has a great ability of catching and finishing lob passes. The passer has plenty of room for error with Chriss. There are very few passes that Chriss can’t handle. His defender can’t help or lose track of him because he can catch a lob with no gather or running start. That adds an extra dimension to offenses.
The upside of Chriss lies with his outside shot. He only shot 35% on 60 attempts from three-point range as a freshman at Washington. Most coaches and general managers will like his shooting mechanics. He has a high release with a smooth follow through. The arc of the shot looks good as well. The consistency with distance is not there for Chriss at this point.
He displayed a quick first step off the dribble at Washington. He was particularly successful when attacking from the free throw line area. It was almost entirely straight line drives, but he was able to control his dribble and get by defenders with relative ease.
Defense
At first glance of Chriss’s defensive stats, they don’t look bad since he averaged 1.6 blocks per game. That number is 2.6 per 40 minutes. That is a decent rate for a non-center. The next stat is quite worrisome, though. Chriss averaged 4.1 fouls per game as a freshman. That number balloons to 6.5 fouls per 40 minutes played.
Those foul numbers indicate a lack of quickness, a lack of awareness or both. He’s not a player that will be able to guard shooting guards in the NBA, but Chriss isn’t a lumbering big that can’t move his feet. He does struggle to contain ball-handlers, but he’s about average as a lateral athlete. However, he does get caught watching the ball too often. He’s late with his rotations on a fairly regular basis. He doesn’t do a good job with positioning before his man gets the ball. That leads to him being a below average defender.
Summary
There’s definitely upside with Marquese Chriss. He is a good leaper that could really thrive with a playmaking point guard. Early on everything will need to be spoon-fed to Chriss. The potential comes down the road if he becomes a good to great three-point shooter. That is especially true if his shot blocking translates to the NBA. He could be a small-ball center with outside shooting and shot blocking capabilities. There would be major worth to that type of player.
Chriss is definitely a high-risk selection in the top five. He doesn’t have much of a track record with regards to his freshman year production at Washington. I would be comfortable picking Chriss around the eighth spot and jump at the chance to pick him after the lottery. It doesn’t look like he will make it to either of those slots if the major mock drafts are correct.
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