From Justin Russo:
PLAYA VISTA, Calif. — The LA Clippers came onto the clock with the 46th pick on Thursday afternoon, the first time the NBA has ever held a two-day draft extravaganza, and a bevy of prospects had fallen into their lap. One of them was Cameron Christie, a shooting guard from the University of Minnesota.
The 18-year-old averaged 11.3 points across 33 games as a freshman. Christie shot 40.3 percent from the field and 39.1 percent on 5.4 three-point attempts per game. Christie scored at least 15 points in nine games last season.
According to several draft pundits, Christie projects as a good shooter who was given a fringe first-round grade.
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie had Christie at No. 33 on his final board and
called the youngster one of the best available players after the first round concluded on Wednesday night.
ESPN’s
Jonathan Givony listed Christie as one of his draft sleepers when doing a position-by-position breakdown before the draft:
At 6-foot-6 in shoes and with an impressive 190-pound frame that should carry bulk nicely in the long term, Christie's dynamic shot-making stands out for his age. He ranks as one of the best off-the-dribble shooters in this class, converting 39% of his pull-ups on the season. He also showed some ability initiating out of pick-and-roll, being tasked with more ballhandling responsibility this season than one might expect, helping him develop into more than just a big-time shooter.
As Givony mentioned, Christie is likely not ready to contribute on opening night and will take some time to hone his craft and body before chipping in. The good news is the Clippers can utilize Christie in the G League with their rebranded San Diego Clippers squad in Oceanside.
Christie measured in at nearly 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds at the NBA combine with a 6-foot-8 wingspan. In his only year at Minnesota, Christie grabbed 3.6 rebounds and dished out 2.2 assists while averaging 30.1 minutes.
There are concerns about Christie on the defensive end, but the Clippers will work to iron out those kinks as best as they can.
With the Clippers’ current cap situation and impending free agency for both Paul George and James Harden, as well as Russell Westbrook and Mason Plumlee, there’s a potential pathway to Christie seeing minutes but the likelihood is the Clippers sign the youngster to a two-way contract and work to get him reps in a less-burdensome environment.
The Clippers currently possess at least one open two-way spot due to Xavier Moon being ineligible to get that same deal again, and the franchise could have two open two-way spots depending on their upcoming decision with center Moussa Diabate, who was selected by the team in the second round back in 2022.
Christie represents the
youngest player drafted by the LA Clippers since they selected Yaroslav Korolev with the 12th overall pick in 2005.
This developing story will be updated with more details as they become available.
We'll see if Norm remains on the team. Clipps might need to come off his $20 million a season once the smoke clears with this PG deal or resigning
