Saying the Dallas Mavericks have had a hectic week would be an understatement. But every cloud has a silver lining, and for Mavs fans, it looks like that silver lining is in the form of third-year guard Max Christie. The youngster has been electric after the trade and has managed to win over the hearts of fans who are still hurting about losing Luka Doncic. He’s also impressed veteran Klay Thompson, who praised the former Laker last night while clearing up a misconception he had about him.
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The veteran shooting guard was speaking to the press after the loss when he was asked about Christie. He joked about how he thought the guard was related to Kings’ interim coach Doug Christie, much to the amusement of the reporters around him.
“I thought that was Doug Christie’s son for, like, years. I clarified that with him, and they’re not related.”
Klay thought Max Christie was Kings HC Doug Christie's son 🤣
He then said he's been "incredibly impressed" with Max so far in his Mavs tenure 🤝 pic.twitter.com/PXYlce1Qex
— NBA (@NBA) February 11, 2025
After an underwhelming couple of seasons in LA, Christie was finally starting to show glimpses of his true potential under JJ Redick. Even after the trade, Christie has continued his upward trajectory, and he’s averaging 17.6 points in Dallas, shooting at a tremendous 49% rate from the floor.
Funnily enough, though Christie’s father isn’t in the league, he does have a brother who also plays in LA. He and Cam also had a special jersey swap last time around, when the Lakers visited the Intuit Dome.
Max Christie has flourished in a tumultuous Dallas side
Christie was an afterthought in early February’s blockbuster trade, but he could be the one saving grace for the Mavs if he continues his recent rapid development. Klay spoke about how happy he was to have him on the team.
“I’ve been incredibly impressed with Max. What a great addition. I’ve had great success with Michigan State guys in my career, and he’s just another one. They come in, they know how to defend, they’re team players, and he has such a bright future in this league.”
Klay is referring to his time in Golden State with former Spartan Draymond Green, with whom he won four NBA titles. Somewhere in East Lansing, Tom Izzo is laughing while putting together a new recruiting commercial.
Anything that Klay or anyone else can do to take Mavs fans’ minds off of their current unhappiness is doing good work. It definitely brought no comfort to watch Luka make his Lakers debut last night with Mavs great Dirk Nowitzki in the stands to support him in what turned out to be an easy win, especially juxtaposed with such a crushing home loss.
Luka may be gone, but with guys like Klay, Christie, and recently named All-Star Kyrie Irving, Mavericks fans still have a lot to be thankful for, even if it doesn’t feel that way right now.
