Michigan State basketball freshman Max Christie testing NBA draft process
Max Christie will test the NBA draft.
Michigan State basketball’s freshman shooting guard announced via his Instagram page Friday afternoon that he plans to retain his college eligibility while going through the process of exploring his potential pro future.
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“My dream has always been to play in the NBA, and I am excited to announce that I will enter my name in the NBA draft process,” wrote the 6-foot-6, 190-pound native of Arlington Heights, Illinois. “I am humbled to have this amazing opportunity, and I look forward to receiving an accurate assessment and feedback from the NBA on where I stand.”
Christie started all 35 games he played, missing one against High Point on Dec. 29 due to COVID-19. He averaged 9.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.5 blocks, 0.5 steals and 1.5 turnovers in a team-high 30.8 minutes a game.
The former five-star recruit spent much of that time defending opposing teams’ top offensive threats and finished with a plus-65 plus-minus rating. That affected his consistency as an outside shooter, as Christie made just 38.2% overall and shot just 31.7% from 3-point range, and he shot just 23.9% from behind the arc in February and March.
MSU seniors Gabe Brown and Marcus Bingham Jr. also both opted to turn pro rather than taking a fifth year of eligibility with the NCAA’s COVID waiver. It remains unclear what Joey Hauser will do, and the senior forward could potentially have two years of eligibility remaining.
Christie's stock currently projects wildly on experts' mock draft boards, ranging anywhere from the mid-first round to the second round.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball's Max Christie testing NBA draft process
