Max Christie quietly gives the Mavericks a crucial edge that no other player can

When the Dallas Mavericks first made the Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis swap, Max Christie was thought of as just a throw-in by most fans. Even though he started for the Los Angeles Lakers before being traded to Dallas, he was considered a fairly under-the-radar player by most Mavericks fans, but now he offers the team something that no other player on the roster does.

Christie may quietly be the only true 3-and-D wing on the roster, and the Mavericks could end up relying upon him heavily to begin the season. Dallas is going to need as much shooting as they can get to begin the year, especially if Jason Kidd experiments with the jumbo lineup that would put Cooper Flagg at shooting guard, and Christie is going to be a big help in this department while providing strong defense on the other end.

Players like Caleb Martin and Naji Marshall could be considered 3-and-D wings by some, as both provide strong defense, but their shooting was not as impressive as expected last season. Martin shot 25 percent from three on a career-low 1.1 attempts per game over 14 games as a Maverick, and while his perimeter defense was creeping toward being elite by the end of the season, he never looked fully confident in his jumper.

Max Christie will emerge as the Mavericks' best 3-and-D option

Even during warmups before games, Martin's jumper looked funkier than usual, and while his slow start as a Maverick could be attributed to injuries, they will definitely need him to step up as a shooter to join Christie as a strong 3-and-D option.

With Marshall, he ended up playing much more point guard than fans expected, and he wasn't able to keep up the tremendous shooting (38.9 percent from three on 3.2 attempts per game) that he displayed in his final season as a New Orleans Pelican. He ended up shooting 27.5 percent from three in his first season as a Maverick, and even though his dribble-drive game and passing shone, his shooting wasn't good enough to lock him down as a 3-and-D threat.

This leaves Christie out to dry, unless you want to consider P.J. Washington, Dante Exum, or Cooper Flagg as 3-and-D options, and he could end up being one of the Mavs' most important bench options during the regular season.

Dallas is going to have plenty of low-post defense, as Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, Anthony Davis, and even Flagg and Washington are set to put a lock on the rim. No buckets inside are going to come easily in Dallas, but their perimeter defense and shooting must also be strong to help complement these ferocious frontcourt players.

This is where Christie comes into play, and him making a significant offseason leap ahead of his fourth season in the league would be game-changing for Dallas. He is only 22 years old, and with the Mavs' need for more 3-and-D options, Christie is going to have a big weight on his shoulders to live up to expectations.

In his first season as a Maverick (32 games), Christie averaged 11.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 0.9 steals per game (all career-highs) while shooting 41.1 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from downtown. He was a breath of fresh air following the Doncic trade, as he dominated right out of the gates thanks to his strong 3-point shooting, pesky perimeter defense, and underrated shot creation, and the 2025-26 season will be a major test to see if he can replicate this success and become a key X-factor for a contender.

His strong on-ball defense, off-ball awareness, length, and discipline make him someone who Kidd can count on to effectively defend the other team's best player, and all of the other parts of his game are what fans are going to be looking at.

The Mavericks already know that he can be a deadly shooter off the catch and an excellent defender, as he displayed both of these qualities time and time again last season, and now it's time for him to put it all together and cement himself as a key member of Jason Kidd's rotation.

If Christie continues this upward trajectory, he won't just be a floor-spacing wing who can defend at a high level. He'll be a core member of the Mavericks' push for their second title in franchise history.