Summer Suns offseason homework Part One

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LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 7: Marquese Chriss #0 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball against the Sacramento Kings on July 7, 2017 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The one thing that nobody can say about Marquese Chriss is that he is afraid on the court. Chriss plays with a tenacity and ferociousness that, quite frankly, is not common for a player of his age. In his rookie season alone Chriss showed that he was never afraid to fail. This is evident in the fact that Chriss led the NBA with 26 missed dunks. Though the degree of difficulty in his misses is high, Chriss seemed undeterred, continuing to attack the rim with authority.

That being said, Chriss has a very low feel for the game of basketball. Marquese displays little awareness on the defensive end, often committing paltry fouls as a result. After starting 75 games as a rookie, Chriss still looked as undisciplined as ever at Summer League, averaging 5.75 turnovers and fouls per game. Improvement in defensive awareness will be key for Marquese, especially if he wants to stay on the court. For all of his highlighting plays, Chriss tends to go for the big splashy dunk rather than laying the ball in the hoop.

Earl Watson has spoken on occasion of his love for the late John Wooden. In his book, Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-Year Friendship On and Off the Court, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar spoke about how John Wooden conducted his practices:

"“Coach emphasized teamwork over everything else. It was teams that won games, not individuals. A good team had room for individuals to rise, but their rise must lift everyone with them. That was the deal…That’s why Coach hated to see showboating during practice. He didn’t even permit us to dunk. Practice was like a work session; we ran, we drilled, we scrimmaged."

Not being permitted to dunk in practice turned into not being allowed to dunk at all when the NCAA banned dunking in 1967. Wooden believed that this rule would make Lew Alcindor aka Kareem a better player. Coach felt that the rule forced Kareem to improve upon his offensive arsenal, which would include his famed “skyhook”.

Coach Watson should look to implement a similar practice rule for Chriss, requiring the soon-to-be second year power forward to develop his offensive skill-set instead of relying solely on athleticism. Chriss will never be a Kareem in terms of finesse & basketball IQ. Yet further improvement in these areas may be the difference between Marquese being an average NBA starter to a solid one.

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