Ranking the 16 worst Warriors starters of the Stephen Curry era

Worst Starter No. 3 – Marquese Chriss

If you’re noticing a trend going down this list, it’s that we’ve been discussing quite a few bigs recently. You are correct; more so, we’re not going to stop. Each of the six worst starters in the Stephen Curry era are big men, which both highlights the Warriors’ philosophy that bigs were replaceable and suggests that, at some level, perhaps having a good one isn’t a bad idea.

During our favorite season in 2019-20, the Warriors took a flier on former Top-10 pick Marquese Chriss. The theory with Chriss was that he could be a switch-versatile big with defensive playmaking chops but the offensive game to balance it out. He certainly showed flashes of that, averaging a steal and more than a block per game in his 21 starts.

The issue with Chriss was that he didn’t exactly fit into any specific role that the Warriors could use. He lacked the size and primary rim protection ability to be a full-time 5, but at power forward his complete lack of an outside shot was an issue. He generated blocks and steals, yes, but the Warriors were also worse defensively when he stepped on the court.

Unlike most of the players from that lost season, Chriss came back the next season as an option in the center rotation, and the team seemed genuinely excited about his transition to playing center full-time. Then two games in he broke his leg and missed the rest of the season, and he didn’t find a way to stick in the league after that.