I'm a Warriors fan and I am pretty upset we didn't bring Chriss back. He broke his leg after two games last year and if not for that, probably would have gotten 20 minutes a game at the center position once it became clear that Wiseman wasn't ready for significant minutes.
The headcase stuff with Chriss is overblown. It seems that getting ditched by Phoenix, Houston, and Cleveland in a span of a year really made him get his temper together. The thing that really changed Chriss' career was playing at the 5 with the Warriors. From a Zach Lowe article in 2020 where Chriss was listed as one of his Luke Walton All-Stars.
When the Warriors took a training camp flier on Chriss, they expected a shot-blocking menace with limited feel on offense. They had heard rumblings he could pout, and lose his temper. "What we got," Kerr said, "was the opposite of all that."
Golden State often plays through its big men, and it took one practice for Chriss to show he had more passing chops than Warriors brass knew. "We couldn't believe it," Kerr said.
Chriss has dished 3.4 dimes per 36 minutes, more than double his prior average. He is a canny handoff artist, flipping screens back and forth as his recipient -- Damion Lee is a favorite -- bobs behind him. He picks out cutters, and whips passes to corner shooters out of the pick-and-roll.
"I've always known I can pass," Chriss said.
Playing more center (especially late in the season) has helped. The Suns often shoehorned Chriss into a stretch power forward role alongside Tyson Chandler. Early in his career, Chriss insisted he preferred power forward; he is only 6-foot-9.
"I was naive," Chriss said. "I realize now the skill set I have is better for [center]."
Chriss at center is tailor-made to catch lobs from Draymond Green. He should mesh with Eric Paschall.
Serving as the last line of defense is Chriss' main challenge. He can get caught between schemes, overcommit to ball handlers, lunge the wrong way at the wrong time. Golden State's coaches saw progress just before the NBA suspended the season. They appreciate his hustle.
They have also found him pleasant, a good teammate. Chriss is just 22, learning to control his emotions. "I'm an expressive person," he said. "It's hard to hold things in. But I understand now if I'm sulking or have a bad attitude, it affects other people. I have lapses, but I'm channeling my emotions the right way."
I really wouldn't be surprised if Chriss makes it out of training camp with Portland and plays his way into primary back-up C minutes. That's more or less what he did with the Warriors. He was a training camp invite and after one game of preseason, it was very clear that the Warriors needed to sign Chriss. He quickly ate into Willie Cauley Stein's minutes, who was signed to be a lob toy, when it became clear that Chriss was a much smarter player who was better at being a lob toy in the Warriors' system. He's smart about cutting to the hoop, knows how to time his screens well, and developed a nice two man game with the Warriors from that awful season who actually could pass.
On top of that, Chriss is an excellent passer at the C. That's no exaggeration. He was the best passer the Warriors have had since Andrew Bogut and I'm tempted to say that Chriss might have a higher passing ceiling. He's not Jokic or anything, but he's one of the most creative passers I've seen at the C in dribble hand off sets. Seriously. Watch some of these passing highlights from a preseason game in 2019. Keep in mind, this is Chriss with all of a week of time with the Warriors and in Steve Kerr's system.
Look at what he does at :21. Chriss flares up to the left elbow and catches a pass and in one fluid motion, drops it between his legs, without looking, to Steph Curry and then slams Alex Caruso with a screen. Absolutely beautiful stuff.
What really bothers me about the Warriors not bringing Chriss back is that he's probably the center the Warriors have had in the Kerr era who best splits the difference between a Bogut type and Javale type. I cannot think of a C who better fits Kerr's system than Chriss. Sure, he's 6'9, and yes, he's coming off of a broken leg, but who cares? Draymond is going to close at center most games anyway, so all you need is 15-20 minutes a game from Chriss and another 15-20 minutes or so from Looney when you need more defensive ability.
Chriss deserved another shot with the Warriors, especially a full health Warriors team. If Chriss makes it out of training camp with Portland, I wouldn't be surprised if he thrives. I think there's a significant chance that Chriss outperforms James Wiseman next season, and if that happens, I'm going to lose my mind.
Hope you all get to see Chriss do what he does best. He's a fun player and was my favorite player on that 2019-2020 Warriors.