As Injuries Plague Warriors, Team Sorely Misses Chriss
When thinking about injuries that have impacted the Warriors’ success this season, the mind rightfully goes to Klay Thompson’s Achilles or more recently Stephen Curry’s tailbone.
However, especially as his positional group has disproportionately dealt with COVID-19 protocols and inexperience, another injury has hampered Golden State in an unprecedented season.
Center Marquese Chriss played in just two games this season before breaking his leg before a game in Chicago, shelving the reserve big for the rest of the season. Chriss was penciled in for 21 starts last season, recording career-highs with 9.3 points and 6.2 rebounds a game, also providing rim protection while swatting away over a shot per game.
His athleticism as a long-limbed, six-foot-nine rim runner also provided a lob threat for the Warriors, showing off his dunking ability last year in his fourth season out of Washington.
In his place, Steve Kerr has two big men each with an aspect of Chriss’ more complete game. In James Wiseman, Kerr has an athlete and a dunker blocking his fair share of shots, but the rookie has struggled with discipline, fouling his way out of games where he has runs of success. With Kevon Looney, Golden State has a more veteran presence with better mobility, but Looney lacks the ability to be a consistent offensive threat.
Kerr has also utilized Draymond Green and Eric Paschall at the small-ball center role, but the former is solidified in his starting spot at power forward and the latter has struggled to defend and score after an eight-game stretch of double-digit scoring.
As Wiseman and Looney bring their different strengths and weaknesses, Chriss has been sorely missed as a more dependable, happy medium between the two. And the impact of his absence was most evident when Wiseman, Looney and Paschall all missed time in Memphis last week because of COVID-19 protocols.
Second-year center Alen Smailagic was the only true big on the court, and had a disastrous first-career start as the Warriors couldn’t find any offensive rhythm. Obviously, the roster construction was not predicated on missing three potential players at the five.
The center position, however, has had a tumultuous history over the years for Golden State, lacking a two-way player at the position in recent vintage, always struggling with injuries along the way. This is exemplified by the middle’s being manned over the years by the often-injured Andrew Bogut, DeMarcus Cousins and Festus Ezeli, the unathletic two-time NBA Champion Zaza Pachulia and lanky dunkers JaVale McGee and Willie Cauley-Stein.
With this particular inconsistency over the years, Chriss provided the Warriors with an athlete in a good situation who had something to prove after playing for three teams in three seasons since his selection with the No. 8 overall pick in 2016.
And while he left his walking boot earlier this month, his presence in a dynamic season will continue to be sorely missed as Golden State fights to make the playoffs.