The Phoenix Suns entered the 2018 offseason needing to improve three particular positions: center, point guard, and power forward. By upgrading small forward in the draft, they may have closed out the tenure of Marquese Chriss in the process.
From the moment the Phoenix Suns won the lottery, one thing was for certain: Deandre Ayton was going to be the first overall pick in the draft and the center position was be solidified for up to a decade or more.
But then General Manager Ryan McDonough surprised us all with his trade up from 16 to 10 and his acquisition of “small forward” Mikal Bridges. I put Bridges’ position in quotes because with small forwards T.J. Warren and Josh Jackson already on the roster, there is not a place for all three in the starting lineup at small forward. If Head Coach Igor Kokoskov wants to put his best five players on the court at one time, at least two of those will presumably be there, meaning one of them will actually be playing “power forward.” To put things more simply: they will be playing position-less basketball and will simply rotate players to exploit the opportunities the opposition gives them
Therein lies the rub for Marquese Chriss.
He was drafted out of Washington as a power forward, and while former worst-head-coach-in-the-NBA Earl Watson made Chriss a part of the starting lineup seven games into his rookie season, he never truly earned that spot and didn’t offer any reason that he had to be there long-term.
Then prior to last season, it was discussed that Chriss might be better suited to eventually play center and that he could be moved over to the five to backup Tyson Chandler, something he did 13% of the time, according to basketball-reference’s position estimate. The thought was that Chriss, being a good defender, could play either the four and the five, and would grow into a stretch-five, a center who’s athleticism and potential outside shooting would make him a matchup nightmare for opponents, a player capable of defending all bigs while dragging his defenders out toward the arc, opening up space in the lane for the guards.
Alas, it didn’t take, and now with the addition of true center Deandre Ayton and 3-and-D small forward Mikal Bridges that likely moves Josh Jackson to the power forward spot, Marquese Chriss’ expected versatility is all but unneeded.
Chriss has started 80.4% of games in his career, but barring injuries to other potential starters, will not have a starter’s role on the Phoenix Suns any longer. There too is the possibility that the Suns acquire a power forward in either trade or free agency, shaking the roster up even more and potentially moving Chriss even further down the depth chart (although he of course could be a part of such a trade as well).
Unfortunately for Chriss, he may have played himself off of the Suns roster with his play last season which statistically his offense regressed significantly from his rookie year, and his continued poor attitude.
We do not know what part of his game that Chriss is specifically focusing on this offseason, but the Suns wouldn’t be able to see if his improvements will even carry over into the regular schedule as they won’t be able to see him perform against NBA talent – the Summer League roster’s have not been announced yet, but as Chriss is entering his third season in the NBA, he is unlikely to be included. McDonough and company will only have memories of last season and discussions over practices this summer, but while the organization is still tasked with finding a way to improve the roster regardless of what Chriss’ offseason focus is, two years of tape and bad taste in people’s mouths might have sealed his fate.
Part of the offseason focus is not only to improve the power forward position but also mature up. The positional improvement might have happened during the draft with the selection of Bridges as it looks to allow Josh Jackson to slide to the four and play a Shawn Marion-esque role as a smaller power forward who uses his athleticism and hands to keep up with the more powerful offensive threats.
Maturity is also an issue for the entire roster and is a publicly stated focus of McDonough’s. He is making a concerted effort to bring in veteran players with winning experience, players who, like Tyson Chandler, will not only lead by example, but enlighten the young Suns with tales of experience and victory.
Obviously Chriss’ maturity in particular is the issue that is weighting his career down most so far after two seasons of NBA play. For the roster on a whole, it is something that at least, on a small part, has been improved upon with the acquisition of Bridges.
While Bridges is only 11 months older than Chriss, he played in 116 games in college and has two National Championship runs with Villanova under his belt of which he a star on the 2018 team.
Beyond his playing experience though, Bridges has a naturally mature personality, a trait which was made most visible with his positive handling of his draft day trade to Phoenix mere minutes after being drafted by his hometown Philadelphia 76ers.
With four years of college under his belt, Bridges will start his NBA career as a 22-year-old, a veteran by Suns standards, and is older than the core of Devin Booker, Jackson, Ayton, Chriss, and Dragan Bender. While still entering as a rookie, he will have more winning experience than the rest of the core combined, a tremendous asset to have for a young team, indeed.
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Even with the additions of Ayton and Bridges, there is a very real chance that Chriss is retained and a part of the regular rotation next season. For all we know Bender is the odd man out, and McDonough might not even make a trade at all that includes either one of his two 2016 lottery picks.
Yet, based on the poor showing thus far in his short career, it does appear that if McDonough makes a significant trade of any kind this offseason, Marquese Chriss will be a part of it, and that he may have already played his last game with the Phoenix Suns.