Grading Max Christie's 2025-26 Season for Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks have to figure out who is worth keeping as they head into the offseason. The 2025-26 season was the second-worst season the franchise has had since the start of the 2000s, and they can't afford to continuously be bad.

There were standouts, and there were players who will likely not be back with the team. The one good thing about a lost season is that there are plenty of opportunities to try players out in new and expanded roles. One such player was Max Christie, who started a career-high 68 games this season. Is that something we can expect going forward? Or is this a position the Mavs need to upgrade?

This is our third installment of grading every player from the Mavericks this season. Cooper Flagg and Naji Marshall were the first two players, which you can read by clicking on their names.

Apr 8, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Max Christie (00) against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Max Christie's 2025-26 Season Grade: B-

At a quick glance, Max Christie had a good season for the Mavericks, putting up a career high in points (12.3 PPG), assists (2.0 APG), free-throw percentage (89.9%), and field goal percentage (44.1%), while also shooting 40.4% from three. On the surface, that's a foundational player for the Mavs, especially considering he was third on the team in total points scored.

However, Christie was much better early in the season. Up until the end of January, he was averaging 13.2 PPG while shooting 44.2% from three. For the rest of the year, he averaged 11 PPG, shooting 35.1% from three. He also turned it over slightly more down the stretch of the season.

That raises questions about Christie's future role with the Mavericks. Yes, the Mavericks need more three-point shooting, and Christie is a good shooter. Jason Kidd wanted him to shoot it more in games, and while there was a slight uptick, his efficiency suffered. He's also not a great point-of-attack defender, which is absolutely something the Mavs need to address this offseason.

Christie is likely a high-floor bench player, which is perfectly fine. If the Mavericks land with the 8th pick, that will put them in range to add a young guard like Keaton Wagler, Kingston Flemings, or Brayden Burries, who could be better high-upside players.

Max Christie still has two years remaining on his contract, and he's at a good number, so it'd be foolish for the Mavs to move on. For him to take that next step, though, he'll need to improve his handle, which had its flashes, and show more aggression on both sides of the ball.

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