NBA Rumors: Warriors Waive Chriss In Favor Of Curry’s Brother-In-Law
The Golden State Warriors deserve credit for not entirely giving up this 2019-20 NBA season. With Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry still out of the lineup, the Dubs are still trying to remain competitive in what could be called a rag-tag lineup.
Things could get a bit harder with head coach Steve Kerr planning to give Draymond Green some time off. Seeing how tired his do-it-your-all forward is at this point, it was mentioned in a previous post how Green could be eventually placed in managed minutes. This also means that other players could get more playing time.
Unfortunately, it looks like there will be some players who will be let go. And the latest reportedly getting waived is Marquis Chriss (according to Adrian Wojnarowski) – the same player Green vouched for before the NBA regular season started. The reason behind this is that the Dubs are trying to make room for another player – Damion Lee. The 27-year-old shooting guard is married to the sister of Steph Curry’s sister, Sydel.
Warriors plan to complete a deal with G Damion Lee to keep him on 15-man roster, league source tells ESPN. He had run out of days on a two-way contract. Warriors waived Marquese Chriss to create a roster spot.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 7, 2020
With Thompson and Curry out plus some players like D’Angelo Russell also not at 100-percent health, Kerr seems to be addressing his backcourt issues. Lee does have the numbers to show. In 24 games, the undrafted player from the 2016 NBA Draft is averaging 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. They may be far from what the Splash Brothers deliver but will have to do.
As for Chriss, the decision puts an end to his “redeem” season. After unraveling a promising career with the Phoenix Suns, the 6-foot-9 saw his career take a tumble. But somehow, he was able to get his act together with the Warriors, making the roster. In 37 games, he averaged 7.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. The problem is that someone stepped up better than him, a person named Eric Paschall.
According to Basketball-Reference.com, the 23-year-old out of Villanova is averaging 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. Those are better numbers compared to Chriss and thus the exit.
The good news is that Chriss is young and has proven a lot this NBA season. Several other teams are likely to sign him, initially coming off the bench once more. The 8th overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft needs to continue working on his game once more and hopefully get more playing time to jack up his production.
