Max Christie has breakout game against Detroit Pistons

Tom Izzo hasn’t had a ton of one-and-done players at Michigan State, but one of the most surprising one-year hires was Max Christie.

The former five-star recruit played well during his first year with the Spartans, but it didn’t feel like it was good enough to leave for the NBA right away. But he did, and the Lakers took a chance on him early in the second round at No. 35 in total.

Through his first two seasons with the Lakers, he played minimally off the bench. He averaged 3.1 points on 42 percent shooting as a freshman, but 4.2 points on 43 percent shooting in year two. But he’s having the best year of his career so far in year three, averaging seven more minutes per game. game than he did a season ago while starting seven games (he had 10 total starts in his first two years combined). He is currently averaging 6.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting 43 percent from the floor – all career highs.

On Monday, he faced the Detroit Pistons and had the best game of his NBA career, scoring smartly and getting 17 points. He also had two steals and a rebound, making 6-of-10 shots from the floor in 33 minutes. Even if the Lakers lost, this could be a springboard to bigger games.

Christie has started in the last few weeks and he has played well. He is in the midst of the most productive month of his career, averaging 9.3 points and 3.5 rebounds, making 42 percent of his threes.

While we all wish he stayed in East Lansing longer, it’s nice to see him finally get a role in the NBA.