Although much of the attention on the Dallas Mavericks in the wake of the Luka Doncic trade has been negative, Max Christie has proven to be a valuable addition to the team — so much so that there has been speculation he would supplant Klay Thompson in the starting lineup.
In an increased role since being acquired by Dallas, Christie has excelled, averaging 17.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.2 steals while shooting 48.6% from the field, 45.5% on 3-pointers, and 82.6% at the free-throw line. Thompson has similarly done well since Christie’s arrival; he has averaged 17.2 points and is shooting 44.7% from the field and 40.5% from beyond the arc over the last five games he’s played.
As a result of Christie’s breakout and his relative youth — Christie is 13 years younger than Thompson — NBA insider Tim Bontemps said he thinks Christie will eventually start over Thompson when the Mavericks’ collective health improves. However, NBA reporter Tim McMahon disagrees.
“I think you can make a case for why [Christie starting over Thompson] would make sense, but there’s an understanding of how important that status as a starter is to Klay Thompson, especially after having it briefly taken away from him last year with the Warriors,” McMahon said on the Hoop Collective podcast. “Now, Klay Thompson’s a 25-minutes-per-game player. I think he will continue to do that as a starter. I think Max Christie will be closing games over him — Klay might close games — but it’s a very case-by-case basis, and it has been for a while.”
Before the trade to the Mavericks, Christie was an occasional starter for the Lakers, who drafted him in the second round out of Michigan State in 2022. Christie averaged 25.1 minutes per game and started a little over half of the Lakers’ games, averaging 8.5 points and 2.7 rebounds in the process.
As McMahon laid out, Thompson being replaced in the starting lineup could cause an issue for the veteran, who came off of the bench for the first time in a decade for part of last season, his final with the Golden State Warriors. Thompson was vocal about how difficult it was for him to adjust to not starting and how he wanted to remain a starter.
In the offseason, Thompson departed the Warriors after 13 seasons for the Mavericks, who signed him to a three-year, $50 million contract.
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