Betting on Himself: Max Christie Scouting Report

Max Christie’s stock has seen a steady decline over the course of his freshman year. After being eliminated in the tournament this past weekend, Christie will have to make massive decisions in regards to his basketball career moving forward. 

Currently ranked as a second round prospect in the draft. Check out MIP 99 here to see who is ahead of him! 

Bio and Measurables:

Strengths: Christie was originally projected as a lottery prospect and for good reason. A real threat on the offensive end with or without the ball, he has a fluid form and comfortable release at peak elevation. His shooting consistency is emphasized at the free throw line where he shot 82.4% during the season (two FTA’s per game). Moving without the ball, finding open space in transition and scoring at all three levels is where Christie has major upside. Standing at 6-6, he has the ability to frustrate smaller defenders and get clean looks from anywhere on the floor, which he proved at Michigan State. According to Barttorvik.com, Christie shot 47.9% at the rim, 41% on other two pointers (mid-range) and 31.7% from three. This diverse ability to connect from anywhere will help him adjust at the next level. Keeping defenders honest on a pump fake from behind the arc or taking two extra dribbles into the mid-range after a trailing defender can’t fully recover will not only help Christie but also his teammates. As an offensive minded player he can hurt you even when he doesn’t have the ball in his hands. His understanding on how to move without the ball, get open in transition and make his defender work is something that should translate quickly with the ever rising pace of play in the NBA.  On the defensive end, his length and size allows him to be an active rebounder and should help him become a serviceable defender with the potential to become a good team defender, showing flashes as a positional shot blocker throughout the season.  

Areas of Improvement: For as prominent of an offensive player as Christie is, and can become, he still has a few major areas of improvement to help him adjust to the next level. His slender frame has kept him away from the basket this season, even though he has shown he can be efficient from inside, with only 48 attempts at the rim. His lack of strength is also one of the main reasons he was only getting to the line twice a game. Going forward, Christie should look to get to the line more often. As a player who knocked down over 80% of his attempts this season he has an opportunity to increase his attempts from the stripe in the NBA through two different ways. By building on his frame and learning how to contort around larger rim protectors, he will be able to create more opportunities to finish through contact or earn it at the free throw line. In addition to these improvements inside, one of the major questions associated with Christie is, can he create his own shot? Currently, he is an off ball guard with no real playmaking or ball handling abilities to create separation from his defender. Combined with a lack of explosiveness and just average athleticism compared to some of the other guards in his class, it is hard to see him becoming a major part of any offense without improving upon his court vision and ball handling skills. While it shouldn’t be expected for him to ever run an offense as the primary floor general or have the ability to blow by you with a quick first step, becoming a good pick and roll passer will help establish a building block for his passing game to develop. If he does improve the other aspects of his game on the offensive end of the floor his career will only continue to get easier. A “one dimensional” player can be keyed in on by defenses and his lack of strength could force him to throw up questionable shots like we have seen during his freshman year. Ideally, when he engrains into an NBA system the questionable shots will slowly fade but it is hard to kick when a player is looking for their shot and struggling. On the defensive end of the ball he has a tendency to “zone out” and may lose his assignment from time to time. With the potential to become an average defender based on his physical attributes, his offensive game will control his future. 

External Factors: No external factors are currently impacting Christie’s draft stock. 

Medical History: Christie has no prior medical history that should impact his draft stock. 

Summary: In an extremely underwhelming year at Michigan State Christie saw his draft stock take a major hit. His offensive potential is still a three level threat but he needs to work on developing his physical attributes along with dribbling and passing to reach his ceiling. He isn’t going to hurt you on the defensive end and could even develop into a solid team defender with the right players around him. In the early years of his career he may get picked on by bigger players in the switch because of his current size. Once he gets into an NBA system and develops this should happen less frequently. Overall, Christie isn’t currently popping off the page and many teams are going to bet on his prior potential when drafting him, similar to Brandon Boston Jr. last season. While we expect Christie to enter the draft, he may have a second thought after watching how drastically Bennedict Mathurin improved his draft position after returning to Arizona. It would be a risk vs. reward situation because another “bad” year may slide him completely off draft boards but on the other hand, he could recapture his lottery status. Expect Christie to declare but his decision to stay in the player pool could come down to the last hour. 

MIP Projection: Second Round (34-44)