Undrafted guard Christmas trying to find way into NBA

For Dionte Christmas, shooting has been his gift.

The former Temple University shooting guard led the Atlantic 10 conference with 19.5 ppg in his senior campaign, becoming the first three-time scoring champion in conference history. Christmas led the Owls to two straight A-10 championships, receiving the Most Outstanding Player Award at both. Although the Owls could not advance past the first round of the 2009 NCAA tournament, Christmas scorched Arizona State with 29 points on 8-for-16 shooting, including 5-for-11 from behind the arc.

After declaring for the 2009 NBA draft, the ball was no longer in Christmas' hands. "I don't think at this point in my career I expect anything," said Temple head coach Fran Dunphy. "I was hopeful that he would get drafted. A lot of reports had him as a mid to late second round pick, while a couple of others suggested even a first-round pick."

Out of the 15 shooting guards selected on draft night, Christmas was not among them. "It hurt," said Christmas, "but you can't let that be the end of the road." Christmas stressed the importance of staying positive and "going to every workout and every mini-camp with a sense of urgency."

"I think it was a lesson because it didn't go the way he wanted or the way he planned," said Temple assistant coach Matt Langel. "In any career you're going to have some difficulties along the way and I think he learned it's how you react to those difficulties that determine your success in your profession. I think it'll help him in the future."

Both Langel and Dunphy mentioned that going undrafted presents the often advantageous opportunity of shopping oneself as a free agent. NBA TV analyst and 14-year NBA veteran Steve Smith added, "Sometimes it helps going undrafted. [A player] can pick the situations that give the best opportunity to make a roster."

Christmas spent the summer playing for the Sixers, Clippers, and Hawks. When asked which system best fits his talents, Christmas responded, "I think every team can use a shooter and I think I'm the perfect guy for that."

"The thing about him is he needs no time to get shots off," said Dunphy. "I think he's an NBA-caliber jump shooter. He's a specialist. If a team needs a specialist to stretch the defense, come into the game, and make something happen, I think Dionte has a great role there."

When asked what aspects of his game need improvement, Christmas mentioned strength, ball handling, and the ability to create his own shot. Langel echoed this nearly verbatim, saying, "At the NBA level, he's not an above-average athlete. I think he has a little bit of a specialty being a shooter...he needs to improve ball handling and the ability to make plays for his teammates." Langel added that the best shooting guards in the NBA "not only make shots when others create for them, but can create shots for themselves and others."

Christmas received an invitation to the Sixers' training camp, where the Philadelphia native will fight for the chance to play professionally in the same city that hosted his high school and college careers. The Sixers have a glaring weakness in 3-point shooting, ranking last in the NBA in 3-point shooting the past two seasons. While the team addressed this with the offseason acquisition of sharp-shooter Jason Kapono, the Sixers still lack the outside shooters needed to develop an inside-out game with the addition of a healthy Elton Brand.

Christmas set Temple records for season and career 3-point field goals. He shot 42.9 percent from behind the arc for the Sixers in summer league, and hopes to contribute to a team that lost last season's second-leading scorer in Andre Miller.

Langel called Christmas one of the team's best workers, adding, "There's a reason he scored so many points and made so many shots." However, Langel addressed the level of talent in the NBA compared to college when he said, "Now that Dionte has been with the Sixers for a little bit, I think looking back on it, he'd say 'I thought I worked hard but I could've even worked harder.'"

Smith mentioned that in addition to shooting, a player needs to be able to come in and impact the game defensively. While Smith said it is important for Christmas to work on creating his own shot, the keys to a good training camp would be to "play hard at all times, and for now play to his strengths."

Dunphy called Christmas, "Very upbeat, very energetic, very enthusiastic, and a terrific team guy." Langel said, "Dionte wanted to win for his teammates, his coaches, his university, his family, and for the city of Philadelphia. I think he's had a lot of success. He's a very personable guy and doesn't shy away from the spotlight."

As the spotlight brightens with the start of training camp, this early journey in Christmas' career has a chance to come full circle. When asked if Christmas going undrafted may have been a blessing in disguise, Smith said, "It would be a great story," before adding, "It's not where you were drafted, it's where you end up."