As usual, there are a lot of storylines going in the NBA right now. An alien viewing our pathetic lithosphere-encased magma ball that we call “Earth” would assume that the point of professional basketball is to be able to view basketball played at the highest level. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. The point of the NBA is to generate storylines and narratives for men to consume. Any other aspects are just a bonus.
But one narrative/storyline that has gotten lost in the shuffle is the current redemption arc of Marquese Chriss. Here’s a quick rundown of his career to this point:
-Starting off with a tumultuous first two years in Phoenix featuring lots of fights and missed dunks
-Getting picked up by a contender (Houston) who then thought he was so garbage that he was unplayable
-An attempted salvage job by Cleveland that was not successful
-The Warriors signing him to a two-way
-Providing surprisingly good minutes
-The Warriors waiving him after he fought Luka Doncic
***REDEMPTION STARTS HERE***
-The Warriors re-signing him to a two-way
-The Warriors convering his two-way into a legit multi-year deal
-Almost singlehandedly beating Jabroni Lames and A Very Badley Player by scoring 26 points
Some people may not really want or respect a redemption tour from Chriss considering his past transgressions. And that’s okay. But to deny that redemption is not happening RIGHT NOW is the act of a fool. Once everyone comes back healthy next year, Chriss will still be around, providing a lob-catching threat that will propel the Warriors to a Finals appearance where they will lose to the Bucks. It won’t be total redemption without that ring, but the MIP Improved Player award he will win has to count for something, right?