The Lakers selected Max Christie, a 6-foot-6 wing from Michigan State, with the 35th pick of the NBA Draft on Thursday night, bringing in a 19-year-old who analysts believe could develop into a valuable shooter and defender.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka firmly stated a big goal for the team was to get younger, and Christie will find himself one of the youngest pieces next season alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook among others. Christie called it a “surreal” prospect. Christie attended the draft in at Barclays Center as a potential first-round pick, and the Lakers could be getting first-round value if he develops as hoped. Christie was a McDonald’s All-American and a five-star recruit out of Rolling Meadows High in Chicago, but he lost some steam in the draft after shooting just 31.7% from 3-point range in college. He still made the Big Ten’s All-Freshman team for the 23-13 Spartans.
“I’d say he’s a solid defender, so you look at him as another 3-and-D guy,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said on the draft broadcast. “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 been talking about him as a first-round pick next year. Just needed a little time to develop.”
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