Spartan Nation

BREAKING: Michigan State guard Max Christie headed to historic NBA franchise

The Spartan freshman was selected early in the second round on Thursday night

Matthew Lounsberry

Michigan State shooting guard Max Christie's professional career is officially underway after the 19-year-old was selected No. 35 overall in the secondround of the 2022 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Christie lands with one of the two most historic franchises in NBA history with the Lakers, who are tied with the Boston Celtics for most NBA championships in league history with 17 titles. In L.A., Christie will rub shoulders with the likes of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and others.

"It's amazing. It's surreal," Christie told reporters at the Draft. "LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony — I mean, the list goes on. A bunch of great players on the Lakers team. I think I can learn a lot and get better in that organization."

Christie also is the first Michigan State player drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers since Magic Johnson went No. 1 overall in 1979. Former Spartan Anthony Miller was also selected by Golden State in 1994 and then traded to the Lakers on draft day.

“One thing that, for me, is going to be beneficial is going to be time,” Christie told reporters at the NBA Draft Combine this past May. “I’m only 19 years old, and I think being in an NBA system for a few years is really going to help me grow and improve over time. A team that’s willing to do that, the resources that have been implemented and the things that have been done in recent years promotes that for me.”

Christie, a former five-star recruit out of Rolling Meadows, Ill., became just the fourth player in the history of Michigan State men's basketball to declare for the NBA Draft after their freshman season. He joined Zach Randolph, Deyonta Davis and Jaren Jackson Jr. as Spartan "one-and-doners".

The 6-foot-6, 190-pound freshman started all 35 games he played for MSU, averaging 9.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.5 blocks for Michigan State during the 2021-22 season. He led the Spartans in minutes played with 30.8 per game.

Christie struggled to shoot efficiently in his lone season with the Spartans, shooting 38.2 percent from the floor and 31.7 percent from three-point range. The freshman did shoot 82.4 percent from the free throw line however.

While Christie had a solid freshman campaign in East Lansing, the former five-star and the No. 20 overall player in the 2021 recruiting cycle did not quite live up to the high expectations thrust on him in his lone collegiate season. This led to hope that Christie would return to Michigan State for a sophomore season, but after testing the NBA waters at the combine, the underclassmen elected to remain in the 2022 Draft.

“It may not have been reflected this past year, but I think I know and I think everyone knows I’m a better shooter than what I produced,” Christie said at the combine. “Not really worried about the numbers that were produced — I’m a better shooter, and I'm going to shoot it better in the NBA.”

Head coach Tom Izzo regularly praised Christie's defensive abilities, often stating the freshman was a better defender than he and his staff expected him to be while they recruited him.

Christie's freshman campaign at Michigan State started strong. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on five different occasions in the first three months of the 2021-22 season. Following the season, Christie was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team.

But playing over 30 minutes per night and often guarding the opponents' top scorer took a toll on Christie, as his efficiency dropped off steadily in the month of February. He shot just 23.9 percent on three-point attempts in February and March.

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas called Christie a "value pick" for the Lakers at No. 25 and, despite Christie's struggles with his shot, Bilas complimented the freshman for having "a really good shooting stroke" with a high release.

"I'd say he's a solid defender, so you'd look at him as another 3-and-D guy," Bilas said. "He wound up being a little streaky this last year, but he's got a lot of potential. I think if he would have come back to school, we'd be talking about him as a first round pick next year. He just needed a little bit of time to develop, and he's going to have that when he gets to the Lakers."

Christie becomes the 23rd player to be drafted from Michigan State since Tom Izzo's tenure began in 1995. He's the first Spartan drafted since Xavier Tillman and Cassius Winston both went in the 2020 second round. Michigan State has not had a player taken in the first round since Jaren Jackson Jr. in 2018.

Moments after Christie was selected No. 35 overall, former Michigan State star a four-time NBA champion Draymond Green weighed in on the Lakers' second round pick:

"Another 35th pick from Michigan State," Green tweeted. "History says he's going to be an All-Star."

The 2012 Big Ten Player of the Year was selected No. 35 overall that same year by the Golden State Warriors. In 2020, Tillman was also selected with the No. 35 overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Michigan State graduates Gabe Brown and Marcus Bingham Jr. are hopeful to be drafted or to receive free agent deals on draft night.

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Matthew Lounsberry
MATTHEW LOUNSBERRY

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