Max Christie's Efficiency Is Real. His Role Isn't Big Enough…

By the Mavericks Nightly Desk · Thursday, September 24

Max Christie posted a 60.1 percent true shooting mark and shot 89.9 percent from the free-throw line last season, finishing at 12.3 points a game on 40.4 percent three-point shooting across 77 games. His 16.2 percent usage rate and a 108.3 offensive rating against a 115.2 defensive mark show a shot-maker whose efficiency has outrun the rest of his game entering his fourth NBA season.

Max Christie of the Mavericks — Max Christie. Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Shooting Is Already There

Christie shot 44.1 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from three last season, taking 5.8 three-point attempts a night over 77 games. His 89.9 percent free-throw mark and 60.1 percent true shooting number are legitimate efficiency marks for a 23-year-old wing. He arrived in Dallas as part of the February 2025 trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, and last season was his first as a regular starter.

The Role Still Runs Through Others

The shooting has not translated into offensive control. Christie posted a 16.2 percent usage rate and a 9.5 percent assist rate, numbers that put him in a clearly complementary role. His 12.3 points and 2.0 assists across 29.1 minutes describe a play-finisher, and his 5.2 percent rebound rate is thin for a starting wing. Dallas locked in that shooting for $8.3 million in 2026-27, with an $8.9 million player option the year after, making him one of the cheaper regulars on the roster. Unlike several projected starters, he is not on the injury report entering camp.

The Lineups Show The Gap

Christie's defensive rating of 115.2 outpaced his own 108.3 offensive rating, a split he needs to flip. The Washington-Gafford-Williams-Christie-Flagg group finished last season at plus-2.2 across 73 minutes, the best mark of any lineup with him on the floor, while swapping in Naji Marshall for Williams dropped that same core to minus-0.6 over 92 minutes. Swap in Anthony Davis and Ryan Nembhard for Washington and Gafford, and the group fell to minus-10.9 in 72 minutes. Christie is not the reason those lineups swing, but Dallas needs his shooting to hold up no matter who else is out there. The verdict: he has the shot. Now he needs the ball more often to matter.

What is Max Christie's role with the Mavericks?

He's a wing shooter who arrived in the February 2025 trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, and last season he started at guard, averaging 12.3 points on 40.4 percent three-point shooting across 77 games.

Is Max Christie under contract for next season?

Yes. He is set to earn $8.3 million in 2026-27, with an $8.9 million player option for 2027-28.

By the Mavericks Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.