Examining each case in Bender vs. Chriss

The case for Marquese Chriss

Marquese Chriss was supposed to be an athletic three and D guy coming into the league. Unfortunately, he’s shot the ball extremely poorly over his first two seasons, making it hard for him to make any kind of meaningful contribution on offense.

In college, Chriss shot a solid 35.0 perecent from three. But in his rookie year he shot a lousy 32.1 percent, and last season he shot an even worse 29.5 percent. Throw in the fact that he’s prone to boneheaded plays, and he can be a major liability to the team at times.

With all that in mind, Chriss has still shown plenty to indicate he’s worth keeping around. Most notably is his defense. His improvement from year one to year two was astronomical, and he could become an All-Defensive Team candidate if he can continue to get better.

Let’s compare Chriss’ defensive numbers to those of Draymond Green, who plays the same position. Green’s a three time All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year who’s a much better defender than Chriss right now, but they play similar positions, which helps give us an idea of how Chriss compares to the best.

Last season, Chriss posted a block percentage of 3.7, topping Green’s 3.1. Green’s 2.0 steal percentage was slightly higher than Chriss’ 1.6. Green also takes the cake in Defensive Win Shares (Green: 3.4, Chriss: 1.5) and Defensive Box Plus/Minus (Green: 2.7, Chriss: 1.3). Chriss did, however, post a better Defensive Rebound Percentage at 22.7 compared to Green’s 21.1.

Obviously Green is the superior defender and player, but the fact that Chriss’ defensive metrics are even in the same ballpark as the game’s best swingman is exciting. And his potential is still so much higher.

Chriss will play all of next season at just 21. He’s 6-10 with a 7-1 wingspan and elite athleticism. He made significant improvements between his first and second NBA seasons, and not just defensively. His assist percentage also rose from 5.2 to 8.1. Unfortunately, his terrible shooting and inadequate teammates and coaching prevented him from doing too much good on offense.

But Chriss still has legitimate offensive potential. He’ll naturally cut down on the metal errors with more experience, and he’s athletic enough to score in many different capacities. If he can reclaim his jumper, he’ll have a great chance to become an impactful player and one day a quality starter.

Next: Focus for Phoenix Suns now on trades

For now, Chriss seems like the favorite to be the main power forward off the bench. A potential bench unit of Davon Reed, Mikal Bridges, and Marquese Chriss would be heavenly for anyone who loves good defense and long arms. But don’t count out Bender getting minutes as well, both situationally at the four and possibly at the five.