2. Marquese Chriss
Marquese Chriss is in the exact same boat as Dragan Bender, only with slightly more disproval from the front office over his summer work ethic, periodic attitude problems and lack of an identifiable go-to skill.
Unlike Bender’s 3-point touch, there’s not much you can point to with Chriss’ game and say that’s where he’ll make his money. Even his eye-popping athleticism took a hit last year, as the 21-year-old power forward put on weight entering his second year and lost a considerable amount of bounce.
Chriss’ Instagram would lead you to believe that he’s been putting in the work over the summer to be in great shape entering his third season, but even if that’s the case, he still needs to prove himself as a viable NBA player. He may have averaged a more respectable 7.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game last year, but he only shot 29.5 percent from 3-point range, has problems staying out of foul trouble and is defensively inept as both a 4 and a small-ball 5.
Chriss’ superior raw numbers and athleticism could make him a more attractive trade target than Bender for other teams looking to add young talent. Because of that, and how the Suns seem to be more patient with Bender’s development, Chriss gets the spot just above his fellow 2016 Suns lottery pick on the list.