Former Michigan State Star Excelling in Critical Area
Los Angeles Lakers guard Max Christie is still a work in progress. He has been pretty inconsistent throughout the season, and he is averaging just 5.7 points per game.
However, the former Michigan State Spartans standout has been showing major strides in a crucial area over the last couple of weeks: free-throw shooting.
Christie has attempted 23 foul shots over his last seven games, which came after he took a grand total of 18 free throws over his first 16 contests.
The 21-year-old is logging 3.3 free-throw attempts a night in this current stretch, and while that may not sound like a lot, it is a sign he is making serious progress.
Against the Utah Jazz on Dec. 1, for example, Christie went 8-for-10 from the charity stripe. Ten foul shots in a game is a major achievement for a developing player.
What's more, Christie averaged 25.2 minutes per game over those seven contests, meaning he posted an impressive 4.7 free throws per 36 minutes throughout that span.
Clearly, the Michigan State product is improving in a vital category. He is becoming more aggressive and is drawing contact, an indication that he is gaining confidence as an offensive threat.
Christie's shooting numbers aren't pretty as of now, as he owns 40.8/29.2/82.9 splits. However, he is still very raw, so you have to expect that those percentages will increase as he grows.
The fact of the matter is that Christie probably came out of college a year too early. He spent just one season at East Lansing before declaring for the NBA Draft, and he fell to the second round in 2022.
Good on Christie for betting on himself, but he may very well have turned himself into a lottery pick—if not a top 10 prospect—in 2023 had he remained with the Spartans for two years.
Nevertheless, this is the hand that Christie has been dealt (or one that he dealt himself), so he has no choice but to navigate his way through the rigors of the professional ranks.
Now in his third NBA season, it's clear that the Arlington Heights, Il. native has potential, which is why the Lakers have given him an uptick in minutes in recent weeks.
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