For the most part during this revolving door of an NBA season, replacement players come and go on their 10-day hardship contracts.
That shouldn’t be the case for Marquese Chriss and the Dallas Mavericks.
Chriss has come in and soaked up every bit of opportunity when he’s stepped on the floor. From being active on the glass to cutting to the basket to hitting open 3-pointers, he has made the most of every minute he’s been in a Dallas uniform.
“I’ll be lying if I said I didn’t feel like there’s any pressure, but you know at the end of the day, I’m doing what I love and I get to be able to play basketball again,” Chriss said after Sunday’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, in which he finished with 15 points, 8 rebounds, and hitting all three of his attempts from downtown.
“Chriss has been great for us. Tonight, again he was a positive,” Jason Kidd said of Chriss after last night’s win.
Chriss has given the Mavericks a spark off the bench and has even closed games in his short time with the team, averaging 8.0 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 62% from the field and 43% from 3-point range. Now, for a high-energy, rolling big like Chriss, it’s hard not to have a chemistry with Luka, but they clicked last night, with Luka assisting on three of Chriss’ makes.
And now, with Kristaps Porzingis entering the league’s health and safety protocols on Monday, it seems even more vital that the Mavericks make the necessary roster moves to have Chriss in a Dallas uniform for the remainder of the season.
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