Marquese Chriss

No. 0 – Phoenix Suns
Position	PF/C
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(1997-07-02) July 2, 1997 (age 27) Sacramento, California
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	233 lb (106 kg)
Career information
High school	Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove, California)
College	Washington (2015–2016)
NBA draft	2016: 1st round, 8th overall pick
Selected by the Sacramento Kings
Playing career	2016–present
Career history
2016–present	Phoenix Suns
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

Marquese De'Shawn Chriss (born July 2, 1997) is an American professional basketball Power-Forward/Center for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies.

As a youth growing up in Sacramento, California, Chriss played baseball and American football.^[1] Between fifth grade and eighth grade, he showed promise as a tight end, defensive end and safety. However, during a game in his eighth-grade season, Chriss landed awkwardly on his shoulder while attempting to catch a long pass and broke his collarbone. His mother subsequently disallowed Chriss to play football from then on, and he was forced to choose basketball instead.^[2]

Chriss attended Pleasant Grove High School in Elk Grove, California. As a freshman at Pleasant Grove, Chriss was one of 25 students who showed up for tryouts. The school only had junior varsity and varsity teams, which meant that roster spots were limited, especially for a player like Chriss who previously had zero competitive experience in the sport. Chriss almost didn't make it, but his energy and effort stood out. He began the season as a reserve before eventually working his way into the starting lineup. A year later, he started for the varsity team and led the school to a 28–6 record and a state championship. Colleges began offering Chriss scholarships that season, with the first coming from Northern Arizona University.^[1] In January 2014, he committed to the University of Washington.^[2]

As a senior in 2014–15, then a 6'8 Center, Chris averaged 21.9 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game. Scout ranked him as the No. 55 recruit in the nation for the class of 2015 and Rivals ranked him as the No. 56 recruit, while ESPN and 247Sports.com both ranked him at No. 60.^[3]

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Marquese Chriss #13 PF	Elk Grove, CA	Pleasant Grove High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jan 13, 2014
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 55   Rivals: 56  ESPN: 60
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

Chriss had a phenomenal start at Washington, recording a double-double with a season-high 29 points and 10 rebounds in the second game of the season against Mount St. Mary's. In the following weeks, however, his production dipped because he developed a habit of collecting unnecessary fouls. He fouled out of three straight non-conference games during the Battle 4 Atlantis in November 2015. His mother stepped in once again with a decision that likely saved his season in terms of productivity. She suggested Chriss consult a sports psychologist, and the Huskies accommodated her request. Chriss was forced to learn to play defense without fouling.^[2] He went on to have one of the top freshman campaigns in their program's history, finishing with the fourth-most points by a freshman (467), fifth-most rebounds (183), and the most blocks (55), the last of which being a freshman record there. His three-point shooting improved greatly as the season went on – he shot 6-for-26 (23.1 percent) from beyond the arc during the first 19 games of the season, and went 15-for-34 (44.1 percent) during the last 15 contests.^[3] He started all 34 games in 2015–16 and averaged 13.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.^[4] He subsequently earned honorable mention Pac-12 All-Freshmen selection.^[5]

On March 23, 2016, Chriss declared for the 2016 NBA draft, forgoing his final three years of college eligibility.^[6][7]

Throughout the draft process, Chriss, a Power-Forward/Center Hybrid went from being a considerable late-lottery or mid-first round talent to rising up in the draft as a potential Top 3 draft candidate.^[8][9] In the days leading up to the draft, Chriss agreed to terms on a multi-year footwear and apparel endorsement deal with Nike.^[10] On Draft Night, Chriss was surprisingly passed on until after seven picks until he ended up being selected with the eighth overall pick in the draft by the Sacramento Kings. Chriss was later traded to the Phoenix Suns on draft night.^[11] Chriss was the first recruit outside of the top 50 rankings to be drafted in the top 10 as a one-and-done player since the rule was instituted in 2005. While the vast majority of media sources, including basketballinsiders.com, CBSSports.com and Forbes.com, lauded the pick and commended the Suns decision to trade up the number-eight to acquire his rights, the selection was hardly met without its critics. The Ringer's Jonathan Tjarks wrote that Chriss was "nowhere near ready for the physicality of the NBA," SB Nation's Kevin O'Connor writing off Chriss as a "black hole offensively," while evoking infamous NBA Draft busts like Stromile Swift, Michael Beasley and Anthony Bennett as comparisons.^[12] On July 7, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Suns and joined the team for the 2016 NBA Summer League.^[13] Chriss managed three games for the Suns during the Summer League, averaging 10 points and 9 rebounds per game, before developing an illness that ruled him out for the rest of the tournament. The futures site fivethirtyeight.com, run by famed forecaster Nate Silver, lists Chris Bosh, Andre Drummon, Luol Deng and Rudy Gay among the top-ten players Chriss most favorably compares with. Chris's first exposure to NBA Basketball left a strong impression on fans and coaches alike. Chriss logged at least 24 minutes in his first three pre-season games, during which he averaged 13.7 points, 7.33 Rebounds while playing primarily power-forward, and some minutes at Center. On Friday, October 14th, 2016, Chriss filled in for Tyson Chandler at Center against the Dallas Mavericks. Chriss enjoyed his best game yet as a pro, hitting 7-14 FGs, including 3-5 from beyond the arc and filled the box score with six boards, one assist, a steal and four blocked-shots in 34 mintues. The impressive showing was all the more head-turning considering he was matched up against defensive stalwart C Andrew Bogut. Despite being the lone teenager in the NBA this season, Chriss was third among NBA rookies with 25.4 MPG, to go with 12.6 PPG on 47.3% shooting and 37.5% from diastance, 5.8R RPG, 1.6 Steals and a Block per game. Utah Jazz NBA writer of The Salt Lake Tribune Tweeted: "Marquese chriss was taken eighth in the draft. In three years there are gonna be a lot of teams in the top seven regretting not taking him." Chriss finished at or near the top of his rookie class in many categegories in the pre-season, leading many fans to call for him to begin the regular season as the team's starting PF. Despite the strong showing, rookie head coach Earl Watson in October announced his starting lineup would is instead include veterans Jared Dudley, 31, and Tyson Chandler, 34, a pair of well-traveled journeyman who've seen their scoring averages drop as their ages have climbed. Benched were Chriss, the rookie phenom, along with Brandon Knight a budding star of just 24, coming off a season in which he nearly averaged 20 PPG. The decision left many around the league to wonder why a team projected for barely over 30 wins and in rebuild wouldn't embrace then importance of developing the team's young talent. A closer look at the man behind the decision, is revealing. Watson the player was a tiny guard who got by on guts and guile, accepting roles in the high-teens or low 20s in MPG on bottom-tier teams like the 28 win 02-03 Grizzlies and the 20-win and subsequently-defunct 07-08 Supersonics. The final few years were difficult to watch as Watson desperately clung onto his NBA career, unable to face the reality that he was in fact inflicting far more harm than good on his employers. Watson's production from 2012-2014 can only be described as humiliating; 3.0 PPG on 33.8% shooting in 2012, 2.0 PPG on 30.8% shooting in 2013, and 0.5 PPG on 27.3% in 2014. Chriss, undeniably blessed with treasure trove of gifts, has the look of a franchise player, but among the hurdles he'll need to leap in order to reach his ceiling are a franchise with a horrendous track record in player development, and a head coach whose sympathy toward the plight of NBA veterans overrides his desire to develop building blocks. ^[14]

Chriss is a fourth-oldest sibling of 9 brothers and sisters. He has three older sisters and two younger sisters, while Chriss is the oldest of four brothers in his family.^[15] His mother is Shawntae Wright, a licensed clinical social worker under Placer County, California.^[16] Chriss' stepdad, Michael Wright, had lived in Tacoma, Washington, and the visits to the Northwest was considered an influence to him going to the University of Washington.^[17]

• Career statistics from NBA.com and Basketball Reference 
• Washington Huskies bio
• DraftExpress.com profile