Marquese Chriss has been given a second chance as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers and is putting up the best numbers of his career.
Before being sent to Cleveland, Marquese Chriss did not see much playing time as a member of the Houston Rockets. In 16 games Chriss averaged 6.5 minutes per game. This led to some uninspiring numbers on the season. In fact Chriss was posting career-worsts in nearly all categories. That all changed when Chriss became a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Since coming to Cleveland, Marquese Chriss is posting career-highs all across the board. Of course some of this is due to the increased playing time in Cleveland (24.3 minutes per game). Chriss’ career-highs so far are 14.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 53.7 shooting percentage and a 56.3 three-point percentage.
Chriss is even making noteworthy plays. The posterization of Jarrett Allen in the triple overtime loss to the Brooklyn Nets is one of the highlights of the entire NBA season.
While this is an extremely small sample size, only four games including one start, this drastic improvement since coming to Cleveland is a good sign. The Cavaliers have been one of the worst teams in the league this season. Cleveland has the ability to take gambles on players who are essentially reclamation projects. Marquese Chriss definitely falls into the category of a reclamation project.
While the uptick in on court performance may not continue, it is definitely wise for the Cleveland Cavaliers to give Marquese Chriss playing time. Chriss is playing well and the Cavaliers have literally nothing to play for. Best case scenario Chriss continues to play at high level and Cleveland decides to keep him past this season. Worst case scenario Chriss experiences a drop off in production and the team moves on after the season. The Cavaliers have already done that with multiple players this season and it would not be all that surprising if that were to happen with Marquese Chriss.
