Mavericks' growing Klay Thompson problem is creating an unlikely star

Through seven games, the Dallas Mavericks' season could be summed up in a few negative words that wouldn't even begin to describe how bad their offense and injury situation are. While there have been plenty of gripes from around the league and with fans about the offensive situation the Mavericks find themselves in, Monday night's 110-102 loss to the Houston Rockets gave plenty of Dallas faithful hope for what the future could hold.

Not only would the Mavericks' defensive presence give them the ability to make a late-game push to potentially win the ball game, but Max Christie's 3-point heroics have quite literally saved the Mavericks from looking like an absolute dumpster fire. For starters, one of the Mavericks' biggest needs heading into the offseason was their lack of shooters on the roster, but with the emergence of Christie's deep ball, the Mavericks finally have a reliable corner shooter they have been able to rally behind for the majority of this start to the regular season.

Not only would Christie make it rain against the Rockets as he finished with 17 points on 3-6 shooting from behind the arc, but Christie's impressive performance against Houston is just one in a long line of impressive shooting displays. Christie has not only proven that he can be a valuable piece of the starting lineup, but with the lack of 3-point shooting on Dallas' roster, Jason Kidd is already forced to play the 22-year-old.

Christie's shooting is becoming one of Dallas' most reliable weapons

Since the start of the regular season, the Mavericks' shooting concerns have only grown worse after a disastrous start from Klay Thompson and other Mavericks shooters. Not only has the lack of spacing completely depleted the Mavericks of any true offensive identity, but it has also made it virtually impossible for any ball handler to get into a real groove without the feeling of space and free movement.

There's no doubt that Thompson's concerning start to the season could have him on the hot seat in Kidd's rotation, but thankfully for fans, they have quickly fallen in love with Christie, who is the only real candidate to replace Thompson in the starting five. Christie has given the Mavericks a sense of security from behind the 3-point line like no player has before, and to make matters even better, Christie's defense has been extremely impactful.

For Christie, he has been one of the only Mavericks who has been able to find his groove from behind the arc early in the regular season, and while plenty of his attempts are from the weakside corner, the Mavericks have desperately needed the presence of a floor spacer. Not only have fans already seen defenses react differently when Christie gets the ball in the corner, but something the fourth-year vet has flashed in the past is the ability to put the ball on the floor and score off the dribble.

On the season, Christie has averaged 12.7 points and three assists per game, all while shooting the three ball at a 50 percent clip on over five attempts per game. It may be pretty easy for Mavericks fans to see, but Christie is forming into one of the league's most deadly wing defenders who has the ability to not only space the floor, but dribble the ball and find open teammates off pump fakes.

Assuming Christie continues to ascend in Kidd's offense, he will have no choice but to put the former Michigan State Spartan into the starting lineup and bench Thompson in the process. Christie's 3-point shooting may not be resulting in wins, but it's easy to see how important his presence is on a nightly basis.