Mavericks' Max Christie benching is about much more than the starting lineup change

After starting the first seven games of the year, Max Christie has quietly been cast to the end of Dusty May's bench. May has started Caleb Martin in three of the last four games due to the defense he provides alongside Kyrie Irving, Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington, and Daniel Gafford, but this is about much more than just a starting lineup change.

Max Christie is on the outskirts of Dusty May's rotation

Christie has averaged just 9.8 minutes per game over the last four games, and this includes just five minutes in Dallas' 125-122 win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night. This number is also largely inflated since he played 17 minutes in the Mavericks' 37-point win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. He played the entire fourth quarter when the game was already out of hand.

The Mavericks improved to 7-4 with a victory over Indiana on Monday, but Max was an afterthought in May's rotation.

Christie's five minutes were a team low among the 10 players who played, as the nine other players played at least 15 minutes. Christie played five minutes in the second quarter and grabbed two rebounds. He didn't attempt a shot.

While May made it clear that the team still has faith in Christie before Monday night's game, his sparse playing time says otherwise. Christie is averaging the fewest minutes per game since his sophomore season with the Los Angeles Lakers, and this could be the beginning of the end of his time in Dallas.

Why Christie's season has been especially disappointing

History says that Max's slump will eventually come to an end, as he shot 38.6 percent from three on 3.6 attempts per game through his first four seasons, but this season has been brutal for the young shooting guard. He's shooting 26.2 percent from long range on 4.2 attempts per game, and when he's not making his threes, it's hard for him to make an offensive impact.

This comes as a major disappointment after how hyped his offseason was, and the young guard is standing at a crossroads just 11 games into the 2026-27 season. The Mavericks decided not to extend Christie this offseason, and this decision looks like the right one ahead of his restricted free agency this summer.

Sergio De Larrea's return could make things even worse for Christie

He has been the odd man out of the rotation, and his minutes could shrink even more once Sergio De Larrea returns to the lineup. De Larrea has been out with a knee injury for over two weeks, but based on how he played earlier this season, his early flashes have been promising.

Sergio dropped 21 points, five rebounds, and four assists in his third career game after playing less than eight minutes combined in his first two games, and his playmaking, size, and 3-point shooting make him an intriguing young piece in May's rotation. He's shooting 60 percent from three on 1.3 attempts per game in four appearances. While this is a small sample size, he also shot well from beyond the arc during the preseason.

Combine this with his ability to attack closeouts, pick apart the defense with his passing, and finish with his floaters, and he has a good case to play as a rookie.

May has already shown that he isn't afraid to play two point guards together, as shown by his lineups that include Kyrie Irving and Walter Clayton, and we could see him begin to experiment with similar lineups with De Larrea. This would directly cut into Christie's already-limited role, and he must begin to make a bigger impact if he wants to rejoin the regular rotation.

Christie needs to start playing better before it's too late

Christie is in a rough spot, as he isn't getting enough playing time to shoot out of his slump, but he hasn't proven he deserves minutes either. Dallas' trust in him seems to be dwindling by the game, and unless he can snap out of this, he may be in some trouble.

Max has scored seven points in his last five appearances (57 total minutes), and he's shooting 1-of-12 from three in this span. He has more turnovers than made field goals over these five games, and he needs to turn things around before May pushes him further down the depth chart.

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