Get to know Lakers draftee Max Christie: 'Being a leader comes naturally to me'

Michigan State Spartans wing Max Christie is a former McDonald’s All-American and FIBA gold medalist. Christie, who is a projected top-40 pick in our latest NBA Mock Draft, now looks to turn pro.

But what does he bring to the table? First and foremost, he is a shooting specialist who connected on more than 40 percent of his 3-pointers for his AAU squad on the Under Armour Circuit in 2019, via Cerebro Sports.

Christie averaged 22.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.7 blocks per 40 minutes while shooting 37.1 percent on 3-pointers en route to a gold medal while playing for Team USA’s U16 squad that same year.

NBA insider David Aldridge recently spoke to someone from the program, who shared very high praise (via The Athletic):

“Always, we go through drills at the first camp. The second camp, he was going to be first in line to make sure everybody knew, saw the way the drill was supposed to go. The guy who’d say ‘Hey, fellas, let’s make sure we pick up the trash in the cafeteria.’ He was that guy … For the guys we wanted around, they would definitely feed off of that type of leadership.”

He played a smaller role within his offense during his one-and-done season in college. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo gave Christie more minutes than any other freshman (including Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr.) in over a decade.

While on the floor, he showed promising flashes. Christie was one of the only freshmen in a high-major conference to make at least 35 shots from both the midrange and beyond the arc.

As a freshman, he also shot especially well from the left elbow and when using off-ball screens. Plus, he had some actions on-ball in the pick and roll.

Christie still needs to improve his overall efficiency, especially finishing near the basket. But he is receiving incredible reviews about his workouts. Here is what one assistant coach told insider Rafael Barlowe (via NBA Big Board):

“Max Christie had the best workout I’ve seen. He shot the cover off the ball, he played with great pace, he finished at the rim, he showed a good basketball IQ. In the 3-on-3s he was cutting without the ball and was really assertive and aggressive. He did all the little things like sprinting to the corners. He was the best and was in a group of all guys expected to go ahead of him.”

Especially as an improving on-ball defender with a good knowledge of the game, it’s very easy to imagine the 19-year-old prospect finding ways to get better once he turns pro.

For The Win recently spoke to Christie about what he will bring to the NBA, some of his favorite memories in his basketball career and so much more.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.