Grading Max Christie's surprising performance in Dallas Mavericks debut

The Dallas Mavericks changed the NBA forever on Saturday night when they traded Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick.

This was a move that no one expected, as Doncic took the Mavs to the NBA Finals last season, but Nico Harrison's concerns about his conditioning and defense, combined with the fear of signing him to a supermax extension, led him to make this move.

Dallas made another move on Tuesday with the Philadelphia 76ers, as they traded Quentin Grimes and a second-round pick for Caleb Martin. This was a unique move, as Dallas played in Philadelphia later that night, but neither player played in the game.

Grading Max Christie's dominant performance in Mavericks debut

While Martin didn't make his Mavericks debut against the 76ers, Christie did, and he did not disappoint in the 118-116 loss.

Christie got off to a hot start, as he finished with 10 points and five rebounds in the first half while shooting 3-3 from downtown. His jumper off the catch looked beautiful, as he was letting it fly within the flow of the offense and getting great looks.

Outside of his red-hot shooting in the first half, Christie was active on the glass, and he was extremely active. He wasn't pushing his own rebounds in transition but rather finding a primary initiator with an outlet pass, and that is definitely one way that he differs from Grimes.

His hot shooting and strong rebounding finished until the final buzzer, as he finished with 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and one steals while shooting 5-8 from the field and 4-4 from downtown. He even made some massive plays down the stretch including a tough fadeaway jumper off the dribble, a beautiful find to Klay Thompson for a corner three, and a few crucial rebounds. Christie's hot shooting and emphasis on crashing the glass were evident in this one, and his effort on defense was undeniable.

Lakers fans cherished Christie for his willingness to guard the other team's best player, and that's exactly what he did in his Mavericks debut. Christie spent considerable time guarding Tyrese Maxey, and he wasn't shying away from the moment at all. Christie looked like he can be relied upon to defend the other team's best guard when he's on the floor, and he can even full-court press when needed.

Maxey still ended up having a big game as he finished with 33 points on 13-22 shooting, but Christie did everything he could to try to slow him down. He embraced the defensive role that Kidd assigned him, and guarding the other team's best player is something the Mavericks are going to need from him now that Grimes is gone.

In 32 total minutes in his debut, Christie showed Mavericks fans why they should be excited about him, and he is just scratching the surface in this league. He is only 21 years old, and he could be someone who remains in Dallas for years to come and becomes one of the fundamental members of their young core.

Christie is under contract until at least the end of the 2026-27 season when he has a player option, and he fits right into Harrison's defense-first culture. Harrison thinks that both Davis and Christie will add to Dallas' culture, and his on-court debut was impressive.

This was a great performance to build off moving forward, and Mavericks fans next chance to watch him play will be on Thursday night against the Boston Celtics before the Mavericks return back home to play the Houston Rockets on Saturday.