10. Marquese Chriss, Houston Rockets
It’s rare to see a third-year player on a list like this, especially since he’s still only 21 years old. With that being said, Marquese Chriss took a major step backward in his sophomore season after finishing his rookie year on a promising note.
Chriss’ numbers dropped from 9.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game on .449/.321/.624 shooting splits in his first season to 7.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game on .423/.295/.608 shooting last year. A hip injury derailed his progress right when he was finding a groove, but Quese entered the season overweight, out of shape and was unable to establish himself on either end.
Chriss isn’t a stretch-4 because he can’t shoot 3s, and he’s not a small-ball 5 because he’s typically lost on the defensive end. It’s far too early to give up on his potential, but it’ll be up to the Houston Rockets to utilize his skill-set as a rim-runner with Chris Paul and James Harden setting him up. Can he become a useful bench piece on a title contender, or will his defensive woes hold him back?