Chad Ford on Marquese Chriss

Chad Ford gives his thoughts on Marquese Chriss in his draft workout confidential series.

Marquese Chriss is one of the most intriguing prospects in the draft and a player the Detroit Pistons could be seriously interested in with his athletic ability, size, and outside shooting touch.

Much like Henry Ellenson–who we covered here–it would take a move up to get Chriss, but maybe not as far of a move up as Ellenson.

In a mock draft I recently did with FanSided editors (this post will be coming soon), Chriss fell all the way to the 15th overall selection to the Denver Nuggets.

If that happened in the draft, the Pistons could have a realistic shot at Chriss–especially since the Nuggets drafted Ellenson with the 7th overall pick.

Moving up three spots would likely cost the Pistons their 18th overall selection and a role player–perhaps Reggie Bullock–but that would definitely be worth it given Chriss’ upside, ability to contribute at the defensive end, and outside shooting.

Below is what Ford came away with after watching Chriss workout.

Ford via ESPN:

"Marquese Chriss, PF, Fr., WashingtonHield may be the best shooter in the draft and Dunn may be the best defender. Chriss’ claim to fame: He is an absolute freaky athlete for a player his size.During one of his drills, he almost knocked himself out, barely missing hitting his forehead on the rim during a powerful dunk. There aren’t a lot of 6-foot-10 forwards with his combination of explosive leaping ability and agility. He moves as well as any big I’ve seen since Andre Drummond.But Chriss isn’t just an athlete. He also comes with a sweet stroke that should allow him to be a stretch-4 in the league. And his leaping ability and aggressiveness on defense make him a terrific option as a rim protector.He needs to get stronger, become a better rebounder and stay out of foul trouble, but he brings tools to the floor that make his ceiling as high as that of anyone in this draft not named Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram. The fact that he’s one of the youngest players in the draft also helps his cause.While we have generally pegged him in the No. 7-10 range, teams as high as the Suns at No. 4 are considering him. They need a stretch floor, and the other options (Dragan Bender, Henry Ellenson) don’t have the athletic upside that Chriss does.There is a risk factor with Chriss, though. He’s far from a finished prospect and scouts have wrung their hands a bit about whether he’s mature enough for the NBA. His body language at Washington could have been better. For Chriss, it’s not a question they should worry about.“I think the teams liked me,” Chriss said about his interviews at the draft combine. “They were trying to figure out who I am.“As a teammate off the court, I’m kind of the opposite of how I play. When I’m on the court I’m kind of mean and mad, but I’m never really mad. I feel like I smile a lot. … I don’t really have a lot friends when I play. My friends are my teammates really. On the court I like to be focused and keep my head straight.”"

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If Chriss fell to 15th–like he did in our editor’s mock draft here at FanSided–I would expect Stan Van Gundy to make a serious attempt at trading up.

I love Wade Baldwin IV–who has a strong chance to be there at 18 and has a ton of upside too–but the Pistons can’t find a player that compliments the current nucleus of players on the roster as well as Chriss does for as cheap as a first round draft pick would be.

Landing Chriss could round out the roster and give the Pistons a scary group of players who could be take them to the next level.

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