The Los Angeles Lakers added a talented 3-and-D wing in Max Christie, widely considered to be a potential steal of the 2022 NBA Draft.
Many draft analysts valued Christie over several other players who got drafted ahead of him. Vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said Lakers scouts and front office officials unanimously decided to select Christie with the No. 35 pick after identifying him as one of the targets in the lead-up to draft night.
L.A.’s call later received a seal of approval from franchise legend Magic Johnson. On Monday, Johnson tweeted he believes that Christie could follow in the footsteps of Alex Caruso and Austin Reaves, who beat the odds and became valuable role players despite low draft ratings:
I’m excited about the @Lakers draft pick MSU’s Max Christie! He can play multiple positions, is an excellent defender, has a high basketball IQ, and has a beautiful jump shot. Max just needs to get stronger and work on his ball handling.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 28, 2022
Jesse and Joey Buss have always done a great job developing players like Alex Caruso and Austin Reaves; they’ll do the same with Max.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 28, 2022
Christie shot just 31.7% from beyond the arc but, as Johnson mentioned, his shot technique will likely allow the 6-foot-6 guard to improve his splits as gets more experience under his belt.
The Lakers reportedly considered buying another second-rounder to pick Baylor’s Kendall Brown last Thursday — and also, had Gonzaga’s Andrew Nembhard on their board.
Christie opens up on emotions of hearing his name called on draft night
Christie has said he felt a lot of emotions in the moment he heard his name being called during the 2022 NBA Draft. “And it’s really hard to describe because there was just a lot going on at that moment,” he said.
“And, you know, sort of my dream came true. It was really cool to experience hearing my name called and become a professional for real.”
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