Fox Sports' Skip Bayless throws shade at Max Christie, other L.A. Lakers during NBA Draft
Michigan State guard Max Christie saw his NBA dream realized on Thursday night when the Spartan freshman was selected early in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft.
Christie was selected No. 35 overall by the Los Angeles Lakers, where he'll join a cast of perennial All-Stars and potential Hall-of-Famers LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony.
Unfortunately for Christie, it didn't take long for a well-recognized media personality to point out the freshman's poor shooting in East Lansing.
Fox Sports' Skip Bayless pointed out that Christie shot just 32 percent from three-point range as a freshman at Michigan State, which was a disappointing outcome for the former five-star recruit who was lauded for his shooting ability coming out of high school.
Bayless' shot at Christie was more of a glancing blow that was directed at James and Westbrook, who Bayless has been critical of for many years. The Fox Sports' talking head said that Christie's poor shooting with the Spartans would "fit right in" beside the two Laker stars.
The 6-foot-6, 190-pound freshman started all 35 games he played in at Michigan State, and led the Spartans in minutes played with 30.8 per game. Christie averaged 9.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.5 blocks for MSU during the 2021-22 season.
However, Christie's struggles with his shot were well-documented. In his lone season with the Spartans, the freshman shot 38.2 percent from the floor and 31.7 percent from three-point range.
“It may not have been reflected this past year, but I think I know and I think everyone knows I’m a better shooter than what I produced,” Christie said at the combine. “Not really worried about the numbers that were produced — I’m a better shooter, and I'm going to shoot it better in the NBA.”
Playing over 30 minutes per game wasn't easy on the freshman, who was also often asked to defend Michigan State's opponents' top perimeter scorer throughout the 2021-22 season. As a result, Christie's outside shooting dipped further in the months of February and March. The freshman's tired legs factored into him shooting just 23.9 percent from three-point range in the final months of the year.
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo praised Christie's defensive abilities however, often stating during the season that the freshman was a much better defender than the Spartans' coaching staff expected him to be while they recruited the former five-star.
