Marquese Chriss’ high motor stands out in Suns preseason

Heading into the draft, Marquese Chriss was getting too much hype. A late-lottery, high-risk selection like Chriss ascended in a weak draft class to top-five consideration.

What we’ve seen so far from Chriss against NBA competition, however, is seemingly his attempt to correct several of his flaws.

For one, Chriss had one of the worst defensive rebounding rates in the draft, and the rookie has made it a point to get physical and be involved on the glass.

He averaged nine rebounds a game in the Las Vegas Summer League and through three preseason games this year is averaging 9.7 rebounds per 36 minutes.

Displaying a much better work ethic around the basket than during his one year at Washington, Chriss’ combination of high athleticism and motor will be enough to earn him rotation minutes if it continues.

Even if Chriss’ contribution isn’t showing up in the box score, becoming a consistent presence and nuisance around the rim on both sides of the floor is always going to impact how the opponent plays.

When Chriss is cutting to the rim looking for dunks and going for rebounds, opponents know they have to grab a body on the glass and watch out for his rim runs. That spaces out the floor and puts a slight damper on transition opportunities as well.

Two plays that exemplify his impact at the rim are on SportsCenter, but another two don’t show up in the box score. Yet, the effect is nearly the same.

.@goodknight11 ➡️ @quese_22 🙌 #WeArePHX https://t.co/A3iBtkGWs3

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 8, 2016

 

The final clip presents the easiest way to tell that Chriss is working hard. He could have settled for the possible open three-point shot on the wing, but instead, he cuts to the basket and earns his team another possession.

Fellow rookie Dragan Bender and Chriss will always compete for minutes, especially when P.J. Tucker is healthy. Bender has gotten off to a slow start in the preseason, but as a whole, Chriss’ ability to always be involved severely outweighs Bender’s contribution. Bender will play better overall defense, is more likely to make the right pass and hit an open shot, but Chriss is active and has gravity to his play.

There’s also the chance of Chriss blossoming as an offensive player. He has shown that he’s a flexible scorer from the midrange area.

He can hit an open jumper.

He can make the contested jumper from the post.

A surprising development is how he showed he can play bully ball on a mismatch, like he did below against Evan Turner.

Or, he can use his signature spin move to make defenders look silly.

.@Quese_22 out here spinning on them. pic.twitter.com/hD0KF7Cd0Q

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 8, 2016

The negatives to Chriss’ game are still present, however. He started against the San Antonio Spurs last week in place of Jared Dudley and fouled out in 24 minutes while shooting 4-of-15. Most notably, Chriss fouled out fouling a three-point shooter, and in general his lack of discipline on committing those fouls is still present. He still has moments when he looks significantly out of place as a team defender, and while the highlights are nice, the offensive game overall is going to be raw for quite some time.

Even with those flaws, Chriss becoming the favorite for the backup power forward minutes is a welcome but unexpected development in the preseason. Chriss joins T.J. Warren, Tucker and Tyler Ulis as high-energy players who could start to annoy teams very quickly with their persistence.

The Suns showed their potential as a team when they go 100 percent on both ends of the floor in their loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, and that potential only grows when Chriss plays hard.

Follow @KellanOlson