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Summer League player grades: Max Christie

robert marvi
·4 min read
3

The 2022 NBA Summer League is now in the books for the Los Angeles Lakers, and they had a few players who showed at least some potential to make it to the big league and spend significant time there.

One of those players is Max Christie, who was the 35th overall pick in the second round of last month’s NBA draft. The Lakers thought so highly of him they made a trade with the Orlando Magic to obtain the pick they used to select him.

Here is a summary of what Christie showed in the summer league over the past couple of weeks.

Shooting struggles

When the Lakers drafted Christie last month, some fans scratched their heads and questioned the wisdom of the pick.

He had spent one season at Michigan State University and averaged just 9.3 points a game while shooting 38.2% overall and 31.7% from 3-point range.

It was pretty clear Christie would take a while to develop into a legitimate NBA player, and the biggest reason was his lack of a respectable jump shot.

In five games during summer league play, he made 28.6% of his shots from the field and 22.2% of his 3-point shots.

However, he managed to hit 86.7% on 3 attempts a contest from the free throw line, which could be a harbinger of his potential down the line to become a decent perimeter shooter.

At times, Christie hit some big 3-pointers while under pressure.

It may take a few years for Christie’s jump shot to be NBA-ready, but if he has the desire and work ethic, he can make it happen.

In the meantime, he may be able to penetrate and score in the paint or from the mid-range area every now and then.

Defensive potential

At 6-foot-6 and 190 pounds, Christie has a 6-foot-9 wingspan, which should give him the ability to become a tremendous defender.

He has shown very good defensive effort in the NBA Summer League, which has made some fans optimistic that he will eventually get a standard contract with the Lakers.

Here, he fights through a screen to stay with his man, then deters an attempt to penetrate and throw a lob pass to a teammate.

The Lakers could really use better defense at the wing position, and Christie’s maturation as a 3-and-D player could make him part of the solution down the road.

An unexpected bonus

At Michigan State, Christie averaged 3.5 rebounds per game, but he has shown something extra in that department during summer league play.

In five games in Las Vegas, he grabbed 4.4 rebounds in 24.4 minutes per game, and before that, at the California Classic, he did even better: 7.7 boards in 22.7 minutes a game.

His effort on the backboards has been very noticeable, and it is the type of thing that can quickly endear him to his coaching staff at any level, whether summer league, G League or NBA.

The fact Christie looks to get things done defensively and on the boards, two things many players don’t actively focus on, will help him find a permanent place in the big leagues.

Unfortunately, for now, his lack of outside shooting is a big negative, and it’s the reason he will be a project player for at least a little while. He’s not exceptional enough on defense to overcome his inability to hit jumpers.

But fans should give Christie a couple of years to become whatever he will become.

Final grade: C

Story originally appeared on LeBron Wire