NBA Draft: Potential landing spots for Washington's Marquese Chriss

With so much uncertainty about Marquese Chriss‘ future, it may be hard to predict where he will land in the 2016 NBA Draft.

As covered in this article, Marquese Chriss is considered a ‘boom-or-bust’ prospect ahead of the NBA Draft lottery.

Many believe he has All-Star potential, but the unknown factors to his game might be enough to scare team executives away on draft night.

It seems to be a consensus projection that Chriss will go in the lottery though. He has unique athleticism, solid physical tools, can step away from the basket and could mold into a solid defensive player. Chriss also has great explosiveness, a quick first step and can make moves in the post area.

The stretch-four can improve his game on the glass (where his lack of toughness tends to show up), on the defensive end of the floor (where he needs to remain discipline in order to block shots), and with his passing.

With a diverse skill-set and potential in mind, there are numerous spots where Chriss could land in the upcoming NBA Draft.

The first team that comes to mind is the Phoenix Suns, as they have the 4th and 13th picks in the lottery. They could potentially lose their top three power forwards from this past season, so a young player like Chriss could be an option.

However, it’s unlikely the Suns would risk reaching on Chriss at 4th overall. If Chriss somehow drops far enough, the Suns could pick him up with the 13th pick.

The Denver Nuggets have zero depth at the power forward position beyond former Morehead State star Kenneth Faried. The trade deadline rumor mill always seems to include Faried’s name, so one has to wonder if they will possibly grab his replacement.

More from NBA Draft News

The Nuggets don’t have a true stretch four – Faried has very little range – so the former Washington star could fit right in from day one.

The Toronto Raptors are currently battling in the Eastern Conference Finals, but still were lucky enough to land the 9th pick in the draft. The Raptors seem to be pretty set at every position expect power forward.

With two players that provide little reason for excitement, it seems like the Raptors could use an upgrade. Whether Chriss is ready to come in and provide that instant upgrade is not yet known, but again, his potential at Washington was so intriguing.

The Milwaukee Bucks have been using former Duke talent Jabari Parker as their starting power forward. For the most part, Parker has excelled at the position, but his size and skill-set should work just as well playing a majority of small forward minutes. Chriss would fit in nicely with this crew of young, long, athletic players that are looking to shake up the league.

The Bucks have the 10th pick in the draft and its hard to see Chriss falling too much further down the draft board.

The Chicago Bulls are the final possible team as they are going to lose Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol to free agency this summer. If this happens, they will be rolling with Taj Gibson, Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic as their three big men.

If the Bulls somehow luck out and Chriss falls to them at 14, they will have gotten a steal of a big man in the draft two years in a row. Chriss could develop alongside Portis to form a formidable pairing in the future.

Ultimately, Chriss was not projected to be a one-and-done player at Washington. The fact that teams in the lottery are vastly intrigued by Chriss is a major tip-of-the-cap to both his work ethic in his one year at Washington and Lorenzo Romar’s outstanding ability to develop players quickly.

The Huskies weren’t an NCAA Tournament team this past season, but they were one of the most exciting programs to watch in the country because of their frenetic pace.

Next: Ben Ten basketball teams wait on key draft decisions

This obviously got the attention of scouts, which in turn shows that Chriss is capable of being a legit pace-and-space big at the next level.

Home/NBA Draft News

2016 NBA Draft: Potential landing spots for Washington’s Marquese Chriss

By John Sill | May 25, 2016

With so much uncertainty about Marquese Chriss‘ future, it may be hard to predict where he will land in the 2016 NBA Draft.