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Tactical changes in the NBA means players are looked to for very different skillsets than in the past. Exhibit A: the #8 player on Brew Hoop's 2016 Draft Board, Marquese Chriss - PF, Washington. Chriss was far from a household name prior to his freshman season at Washington, but he's quickly become one of the darlings of this draft, getting more and more attention every day and steadily climbing up mock drafts.
Chriss looks, in the eyes of many, like the prototypical modern power forward prospect. He's big, he's athletic, he's skilled with the ball, and he can stretch the floor. Chriss presents the sort of matchup challenge that teams crave from the 4-spot these days, pulling defenses out of the paint on one possession and dunking on them the next. He's not an outstanding shooter just yet (21/60 from three in college), but scouts like his shooting motion and are fairly certain he'll develop into a reliable perimeter threat in short order.
He won't be limited to outside offense, either. He's got a developing post-up game and an even further along face-up game, allowing him to take slower defenders off the dribble and get to the rim or pull up for open jumpers.
Here's the catch: for all of Chriss' modern appeal, he's sorely lacking in some traditional roles that hold him back from being a truly elite prospect. Most notably, the dude is just an awful rebounder. His 4.1 defensive rebounds per 40 minutes ranks among the lowest rates in DraftExpress's PF database. Part of it is indifference, part of it is bad fundamentals (like a notable failure to box out), but there's no doubt that he will have to improve in that area in order to earn significant playing time, no matter how good a shooter he becomes. Another concern for playing time is his propensity for fouling, again owing to an occasional combination of bad instincts and lax effort.
2016 Brew Hoop Community Draft Board
1. Ben Simmons - F, LSU - DraftExpress Profile
2. Brandon Ingram - SF, Duke - DraftExpress Profile
3. Jamal Murray - G, Kentucky - DraftExpress Profile
4. Dragan Bender - PF, International - DraftExpress Profile
5. Buddy Hield - SG, Oklahoma - DraftExpress Profile
6. Jaylen Brown - SF, California - DraftExpress Profile
7. Kris Dunn - PG, Providence - DraftExpress Profile
8. Marquese Chriss - PF, Washington - DraftExpress Profile