Listening, reading and talking to people, there’s one name that people like to mention on the Dallas Mavericks roster – after the stars, of course. Underrated, one might call him, under-the-radar may be a better word, because Max Christie gets people, who understand basketball on a deep level, excited.
Of course Dallas has the stars. And the superstars. Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Cooper Flagg. And then another handful of great players on top of that.
But when it comes to what people, who watch a lot
of basketball, coach, train and analyze the game, notice, it’s not always the same as what you see on highlight reels.
Max Christie has been on these peoples’ radar for a while. Even in Europe, where a different style of basketball is prevalent and team basketball is preferred, Christie is a guy who has been mentioned.
He’s not only a hard worker, great on-ball defender, defender at large, and shooter, he also embodies a lot of what coaches and scouts often look for on offense – outside the star and franchise players: he creates a certain flow and easy points for his teammates – and he doesn’t need the ball to be productive.
He does this by playing simple and smart. High IQ reads, off-ball movement, cutting. Here is just one of many examples of Christie’s off-ball movement and cutting in Dallas Mavericks’ first preseason game against Oklahoma City earlier this week:
Constantly moving and creating flow and space for his teammates and himself, he makes things easy for the rest of the team. This is not new for the 22 year old shooting guard/small wing, however. In L.A., D’Angelo Russell and Christie had a great connection, which was evident from the get-go in the Mavs first preseason game, as they now both play in Dallas.
Watch Christie cut to the basket once again and Russell finding him for easy points, very similar to the previous clip:
Back in L.A., Christie had already been showing off his excellent cutting abilities. And the fact is that being consistently effective when it comes to this particular move and skill requires a deep understanding of the flow of the game, as well as a high basketball IQ. Here are some examples from his time in L.A.:
But why is this a skill, or a skillset, that detail-oriented analysts, coaches and scouts often look for?
Because when a player constantly moves off-ball, sees the pockets of space and cuts to the basket – at the right time – the flow and spacing constantly change, thereby preventing the defense from setting and keeping defenders on their heels. Hard work, which often goes unnoticed but which is extremely valuable on any team.
This is basketball 101, simple basketball understanding, but the amount of players in the NBA who nonetheless stand still, watching the ball whenever they don’t have it in their hands, is staggering at times.
At least from a European basketball perspective, where constant off-ball movement, ball-movement and passing in set systems often decide who finishes an offensive possession, depending on the defense. The fluidity of that type of offense means that it rarely gets stagnant. Here’s a great example of an elite, fluid, ball-moving and off-ball movement offense from Turkish powerhouse and current reigning EuroLeague champion Fenerbahce:
Max Christie checks a lot of those boxes, also for Jason Kidd, it seems. He noted that Christie came very prepared to training camp, and is happy with what he’s seeing from him.
He can start or come off the bench, Kidd said of Christie this week, but “he is going to play a lot of minutes for us.”
And Max Christie has wanted to take a leap this summer:
“I knew this off-season was going to be important. … off the ball I feel I’m pretty solid being able to play off the guys. I wanted this summer to take a leap with on ball stuff. With playmaking, creating and being able to push the pace.”
“The biggest thing was cutting for me. I think Dlo (D’Angelo Russell) and I have a pretty good connection in transition, especially when I’m cutting,” Max Christie said, recognizing one of his biggest strengths on this team.
Pace, off-ball movement, defense and transition play are exactly some of the things the Mavs are focusing on this season. To be successful, the Mavericks need Max Christie to be an effective and important cog in the machine of making that work every day down the stretch.
