Marquese Chriss, it’s safe to say, did not make a favorable first impression on the Mavericks or their fans.
No, we’re not referring to the impression he made after signing his first 10-day contract with the Mavericks on Dec. 21. Obviously he’s won over the Mavericks and fans alike with his tenacity and skill, as evidenced by the two-year guaranteed contract he signed on Saturday.
We’re referring to the Dec. 28, 2019 night that Chriss, while playing for Golden State, tangled with Luka Doncic in San Francisco’s Chase Center. As the pair jostled for a loose ball, Chriss with two hands shoved Doncic in the chest, toppling him backward into the legs of courtside cameramen.
Two years to the week later, with the Mavericks ravaged by COVID-19, Doncic and Chriss became teammates. Awkward?
“Nah, we laughed about it,” Chriss said. “All of us have.”
As he spoke late Saturday night after the Mavericks’ 16-point home win over Orlando, Chriss visibly was relaxed, secure in the knowledge that earlier in the day he’d signed a two-year contract to remain a Maverick.
As for what Chriss meant by “all of us” laughing, it’s unclear how many other skirmishes he’s with Mavericks, but one was with Kristaps Porzingis.
No apologies necessary, apparently. The Mavericks knew what they were getting in 6-9, 240-pound Chriss: An athletic if not polished 24-year-old forward/center who has been traded and waived three times apiece and who can be an antagonist on the court.
To opponents, not teammates.
“He’s physical,” Porzingis said. “He never backs down and you know, he’s gotten into it with me, with Luka before. And now he’s getting into it with other guys.”
The type of pesky player you hate to face, but are glad to have on your side?
“He’s not trying to be anybody,” Porzingis said. “He’s just who he is. And that’s why he’s good and he’s aggressive on defense, but also, offensively, he’s very solid.”
Fans who have watched Chriss on the court probably would be surprised by how mild-mannered he is off the court.
On the court he’s the guy whom the NBA fined $35,000 for his shove of Doncic. The league said it fined him a higher-than-usual total “based in part on the fact that Chriss has been disciplined on several prior occasions for physical altercations on the court.”
One such occasion came on March 12, 2019, a month and five days after he was traded for the third time. Initially selected No. 8 overall by Sacramento in 2016, he was traded on draft night to Phoenix. In 2018 the Suns traded him to Houston, and six months after that he was traded to Cleveland.
It was as a Cavalier that he was suspended by the NBA for one game after an on-court altercation with Toronto’s Serge Ibaka, who was suspended for three games.
Chriss would prefer to think he’s bringing a needed edginess to the Mavericks, not nastiness. So why does he believe he’s carved a role in Dallas’ playing rotation in the span of 26 days, after getting waived by Golden State (2020, but then re-signed by the Warriors eight days later), San Antonio (2021) and Portland (2021)?
“I mean, I like to think I’m pretty good at basketball,” he said with a smile. “You know, just filling a role, a role that was needed. I think in me specifically in what I bring, which is just my energy and effort and trying to play the best defense that I can, and being able to knock down my shot lately is helping.
“And just being athletic and causing havoc towards the rim, giving the scorers the space that they need by putting pressure on the rim. And just being myself. I think I’ve been in situations that did work, but things outside of the basketball court kind of got in the way. But I think it’s a blessing just to be here and be able to play again.”
Mavericks president Nico Harrison said it was Chriss’ ability to play above the rim, set screens and play with physicality that made giving him a two-year guarantee a no-brainer.
Chriss is acutely aware that it was the misfortune of others that gave him the opportunity to be a Maverick.
First came the rash of Mavericks, ultimately 11 in all, who entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols during a three-week span in December and early January.
Then, after Porzingis on Saturday became the final Maverick to clear protocols, the Mavericks had to waive Willie Cauley-Stein to create a roster spot for Chriss, who was in the middle of his third 10-day contract under the league’s COVID-related hardship provision.
Unlike most other players who got opportunities around the NBA due to the omicron outbreak, Chriss was not playing in the G-League when the Mavericks contacted him. He was home in Sacramento, training, but getting ready to spend a quiet Christmas with his family.
“God’s timing is perfect, you know what I mean?” he said. “I just stayed ready. It’s tough that people had to be sick for it to happen, but I’m thankful that I was given an opportunity to show what I’m capable of doing.”
