Warriors' Draymond Green: No One Blames 'S--ty Franchises' for Draft Busts
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said Wednesday that teams deserve more criticism than they receive when high draft picks don't pan out.
When asked about forward Marquese Chriss' strong play this preseason, Green praised the 2016 No. 8 overall pick, per ESPN's Nick Friedell:
"Yeah, I don't think there was ever a doubt that he was a legitimate NBA player. I think everyone was just kind of waiting on him to turn that corner. He seems like he's turning the corner. I think he's been in some pretty tough situations. No one ever blames the situation, though. It's always the kid. No one ever blames these s---ty franchises."
The Warriors signed Chriss to a non-guaranteed deal during the offseason, and he has played well enough to earn consideration for a roster spot.
Chriss spent the first two seasons of his career with the Phoenix Suns, who acquired him from the Sacramento Kings on draft night.
He averaged 9.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in 21.3 minutes per game as a rookie en route to being named to the All-Rookie second team, and he put up 7.7 points and 5.5 rebounds the following season in 21.2 minutes per game. Despite Phoenix needing young talent to emerge, the club dealt Chriss to the Houston Rockets.
Last season, he split time with the Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers and mustered averages of just 4.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in 43 appearances, primarily as a reserve (11.6 MPG).
Chriss has not received extended opportunities to show what he can do, and Green believes the organizations are responsible as well:
"[People] always want to blame the kid. It's not always the kid's fault. He's getting older now, so he's not a kid anymore. But he came into this league as a kid, but it's never the organization's fault. It's always that guy. So I'm happy he's gotten the opportunity show what he can really do because it's a prime example. But no one will still blame any organizations. It'll always be the kid's fault, and it will be the next kid that comes in's fault and the next kid after that. So I'm happy he's gotten this opportunity."
In four preseason games with the Warriors, Chriss is averaging 9.5 points and 8.3 rebounds in just under 23 minutes per contest. With bigs Kevon Looney, Willie Cauley-Stein and Omari Spellman all ailing, the 22-year-old Chriss has been one of Golden State's top options inside.
To Green's point, Phoenix's recent draft history leaves plenty to be desired, as Devin Booker is the only first-round pick from 2011 to 2017 still on the Suns roster. They haven't reached the playoffs since 2009-10, while the Warriors have reached the NBA Finals five straight seasons.
The pressure to put up meaningful stats on a team that boasts Green, Stephen Curry and D'Angelo Russell won't necessarily be present for Chriss in 2019-20 should he make the team, and head coach Steve Kerr's history of getting the most out of his players could help the University of Washington standout reach his potential.
