Michigan State freshman Max Christie announced in early April that he would explore the possibility of going pro without signing with an agent, signaling that he could return to school.
On Monday, Christie closed the door on that possibility. Per Adrian Wojnarowski, he will remain in the 2022 NBA Draft pool and move forward with going pro.
“Michigan State freshman G Max Christie will stay in the 2022 NBA Draft and hire an agent, sources tell ESPN,” said Woj. “Christie, an All-Big 10 freshman team selection, is participating at the Chicago Pre-Draft Combine this week.”
Christie started 35 games this past season for the Spartans, averaging 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. A five-star recruit out of high school, Christie was a strong defender, often matched up against the opponent’s top offensive threat. He finished the season with a plus-65 plus-minus rating.
Christie has shown up in a lot of mock drafts in the first round, so the news that he would go pro isn’t terribly surprising to many in basketball circles. But the news certainly got a lot of people talking on Monday after the latest WojBomb.
Don’t think this is exactly a shocker in East Lansing.
You’re up, Jaden Akins. https://t.co/XPZ2PlwbK0
— Brendan Quinn (@BFQuinn) May 16, 2022
Interesting move here: https://t.co/zjHaObi3tA
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) May 16, 2022
Bad news for Michigan State. Stats don't reflect it, but Max Christie was by far their most important player for next season.
Without him, looking at their roster, well… there just isn't all that much there https://t.co/VOssMYitav
— Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) May 16, 2022
June 1 is the withdrawal deadline for prospects in the NBA Draft, so it remains possible he could double back and return to college. But it sure sounds like Christie is moving on to the bigs.