Max Christie

Wheat Hotchkiss

Michigan State guard Max Christie speaks with Pacers.com's Wheat Hotchkiss following his pre-draft workout.

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2022 Draft Workouts: Max Christie

The Pacers took an extended look at a pair of 19-year-old wings with promising upside on Monday's pre-draft workout at the Ascension St. Vincent Center.

Both Max Christie and Peyton Watson were viewed as potential future lottery picks, entering college as five-star recruits and McDonald's All-Americans. Each played a limited role last season as freshmen at marquee programs, but both still elected to enter their names into the NBA Draft rather than return to school.

While they might not yet have flashed lottery-level talent, both players offer high upside that could entice a team that is willing to take a patient approach and help with their development. That's precisely the type of player the Pacers front office might target with their second pick, the 31st overall selection (the first pick in the second round).

Based on their college performance, Christie is the more polished product. The 6-5 guard started 35 games for Michigan State last season, averaging 9.3 points and 3.5 rebounds over 30.8 minutes per game. He was one of five players voted to the Big Ten's All-Freshman team.

Christie showed plenty of promise over stretches of his freshman season with the Spartans. He scored in double figures in four straight games and six of eight contests from Dec. 21 to Jan. 29, highlighted by a season-high 21 points in a win over Nebraska on Jan. 5. He shot a lights-out 16-for-23 from 3-point range over those six games, but struggled from beyond the arc for much of the rest of the season, going just 39-for-123 (31.7 percent) on the season.

Despite those averages, Christie remains confident in his ability to knock down shots. He also said that he felt that he grew significantly as a defender during his one year playing for legendary coach Tom Izzo, who pushed him to lock in more consistently on that end and use his nearly 6-9 wingspan to pester guards on the perimeter.

Christie tested well at the NBA Draft Combine last month in Chicago. He showed off good speed - tying for the fastest time in the three-quarter-court sprint - and athleticism - flashing a 37.5-inch vertical. Those attributes, combined with his age (he only turned 19 in February), make him an intriguing option for a team picking late in the first or early in the second round.

The young Christie hopes to follow the career trajectory of All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Devin Booker, two wings with similar builds and styles of play. Initially though, he's happy to play a defined supporting role similar to what he did at Michigan State to help his team win.

"I think being a knock-down shooter, even a secondary ballhandler, being able to take some pressure off the main guy," Christie said of how he envisions himself playing at the next level. "(I can) become a scorer if I need to be. But at the end of the day, I think I'm going to find my way on the floor with my defense."

Watson didn't see the floor as much as Christie during his lone season at UCLA. The 6-8 forward appeared in 32 games off the bench, but averaged just 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12.7 minutes per contest.

When he did receive extended minutes, Watson had some productive games. He tallied 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in 21 minutes in an overtime loss to Oregon on Jan. 13 and had 12 points and six boards in 26 minutes in a win over Cal on Jan. 27. But for the most part, Watson struggled to get significant playing time on a deep Bruins team as he played behind a slew of wings and guards returning from UCLA's 2021 Final Four run, including Johnny Juzang, Jaime Jaquez, Jules Bernard, and Tyger Campbell.

While Watson maybe didn't have a lot of opportunities at UCLA, there's still plenty to like about his potential. His wingspan measures at over seven feet and he won't turn 20 until September. Watson is hoping to use the pre-draft process to remind teams why he was a prized recruit just a year ago.

"Just showcase what I can do on both ends of the ball," Watson said. "Definitely show my length, my fluidity, and my athleticism on both sides whether that's blocking shots, finishing above the rim, finding my teammates. Just showing my versatility and my skillset."

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2022 Draft Workouts: Peyton Watson

Watson said he's also focused on proving that he has the right personality to fit in in the locker room. As a rookie, his focus would be on meshing with his new teammates while earning playing time by focusing on a specific area.

"Being an elite defender and just harassing the other team on the defensive side of the ball," Watson said of how he can help a team next season. "I feel like when you play intense defense, it can change the course of a whole game. My goal is just to impact winning."

Watson looks up to former Pacer Paul George, who also made an early impact on defense before developing into an All-NBA player.

When digging deeper into what Christie and Watson offer beyond a simple glance at their college stats, one starts to see the case for a team taking a chance on their upside on draft night. Whether that team ends up being the Pacers is a question that will be answered in a little over two weeks.

Well-Traveled Allen, Brown Offer Unique Level of Experience

With the increased activity in the NCAA transfer portal, it’s becoming more and more common to see prospects enter the draft having spent time at multiple colleges.

Teddy Allen and Terrell Brown Jr., two other prospects at Monday's pre-draft workout, took that approach to the extreme, however. Both players attended five different schools during their college careers.

Allen spent his freshman season at West Virginia before transferring to Wichita State. He sat out the next season after being denied a waiver to play right away. He was dismissed from the program that June and instead enrolled at Western Nebraska Community College, where he led the NJCAA in scoring at 31.4 points per game.

Allen enrolled at Nebraska for the 2020-21 season, where he led the team in scoring at 16.5 points per game, while playing under former Pacer Fred Hoiberg. He elected to transfer once again, spending last season at New Mexico State. He had his best NCAA season with the Aggies, averaging 19.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists and winning WAC Player of the Year.

"I think it completely shaped me," Allen said of his college journey. "Being able to grow up through life and become a man through real-life situations, I think it serves me well. Especially coming into a league where guys are getting traded, one day you're on this team, the next day you're on the next.

"I've been able to learn how to adapt and keep my work ethic strong wherever I've been. I feel like it's going to serve me well for my career."

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2022 Draft Workouts: Teddy Allen

A 6-6 wing, Allen scored 30 or more points in five games last season. He dropped 41 and went 6-for-11 from 3-point range in a win over Abilene Christian on Jan. 15. He then had a breakout performance in March in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, exploding for 37 on 4-of-7 3-point and 13-of-13 free throw shooting as 12th-seeded New Mexico State upset fifth-seeded Connecticut.

Allen is one of the older prospects in this year's draft class, turning 24 on Tuesday. But he does still offer the potential to help a team right away as a bench scorer, having demonstrated the ability to get buckets at a number of different stops.

But Allen sees himself as more than just a scorer.

"Besides what people would already know, I think I bring a lot of toughness to a team in any role," he said. "Whether you want me to try to rebound or guard whoever or be a bench player that pushes guys hard in practice, I feel like my toughness is probably my greatest attribute besides what I can bring offensively."

Brown has also taken a unique path to the NBA. An overlooked prospect coming out of Seattle, he originally planned to play at Division II school Western Oregon, but ended up leaving shortly after enrolling after having a change of heart. Instead, he spent the 2017-18 season at Shoreline Community College, then starred for the next two seasons at Seattle University, where he averaged 20.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in 2019-20.

He transferred to Arizona after that season, where he had the opportunity to play for his godfather, Jason Terry, a 19-year NBA veteran who joined his alma mater's coaching staff as an assistant that season. Brown took on a supporting role for the Wildcats, averaging 7.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while starting nine of 26 games. But after a coaching change, he elected to transfer once more, returning home for his senior season at the University of Washington.

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2022 Draft Workouts: Terrell Brown Jr.

Playing for the Huskies, Brown once again became a primary scorer. He led the Pac-12 by averaging 21.2 points per game while also tallying 4.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.2 steals per contest. The 6-3 guard scored 20 or more points in 22 of 32 contests, including his final six collegiate games.

"I think it helped me out the most with maturity," Brown said of his nomadic college career. "Adjusting to new systems - going from college to the NBA it's a different role - I know I'm not going to come in score and 20 points a game like I did at (Washington). But I know that I can facilitate, also play defense, and also score when I need to be."

Brown is already 24 and there are questions about his shooting (he knocked down just 28.4 percent of his 3-point attempts over his time in Division I and just 20 percent last season). But he said he feels confident in his stroke and thought he shot really well in Monday's workout, which he hope went a long way toward answering the "glaring question" he knows scouts have about his game.

Late Additions Flowers and O'Connell Round Out Monday's Group

The scheduled participants for Monday's workout originally included Toledo guard Ryan Rollins and Overtime Elite forward Kok Yat. Both were on the list of participants announced on Friday, but neither was able to attend on Monday.

They were replaced by Washington State guard Michael Flowers and Creighton guard Alex O'Connell.

Flowers, a 6-1 guard, also had a well-traveled college career. He spent three seasons at Western Michigan, where he averaged 15.7 points per game as a sophomore and 16.9 as a junior. He transferred to South Alabama for 2020-21, where he averaged 21 points per contest.

Taking advantage of the NCAA allowing players to have an extra year of eligibility because of COVID-19, Flowers transferred once again for his final season, moving into a power conference in the Pac-12. He continued to produce in his lone season at Washington State, averaging 14.2 points and 3.4 assists per game.

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2022 Draft Workouts: Michael Flowers

Flowers is primarily known as a shooter, averaging between 5.8 and 8.1 3-point attempts per game over his last four seasons in college. He set the Washington State record with 100 made 3-pointers last season, knocking them down at a 36.9-percent clip.

"I think that's one of my best attributes...I love to shoot the ball," Flowers said. "It's something I've always done at a high level."

6-6 guard O'Connell spent three seasons at Duke, where he was a role player off the bench, starting just 14 of 101 games for the Blue Devils from 2017-20. He transferred to Creighton and had a similar role in 2020-21, averaging 3.4 points off the bench over 24 games.

O'Connell finally broke through last season, however. He started all 35 games for the Bluejays and averaged 11.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists.

O'Connell credited his breakthrough to his growth on the defensive end. While that initially limited him to spot minutes earlier in his career, he worked hard on that end, evolving into one of Creighton's most trusted perimeter defenders last season.

"It was fun for me to step into a new role and kind of step into a new leadership position," O'Connell said. "Teach the young guys and share some of the experience that I've gotten over the years with them in terms of playing and also doing stuff the right way."

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2022 Draft Workouts: Alex O'Connell

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Christie, Watson Offer Intrigue with Youth, Potential

Height: 6-5Weight: 189Position: GCollege: Michigan StateAge: 19

2021-2022 Season StatsPPG: 9.3RPG: 3.5APG: 1.5BLK: 0.5STL: 0.5

Player BioCourtesy of Michigan State Athletics

THE WORDA five-star recruit and one of the top-rated players in the country • Has the ability to play multiple positions • Can be a scorer, rebounder, passer and distributor • A good athlete with length (6-8) who Head Coach Tom Izzo thinks can get better and better with time • Needs to continue to grow defensively.

HIGH SCHOOLOne of the top-rated players in the country and one of the top shooting guards • Ranked No. 17 in the 247sports composite, No. 12 in the ESPN Top-100 and the No. 3-ranked shooting guard • Named to the 2021 McDonald’s All-American Game roster for the East squad (not played due to COVID-19 pandemic) • Finished his high school career scoring more than 2,000 points • Averaged 24 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks as a senior • Led Rolling Meadows to a 15-0 record, the Mid-Suburban League title and was named the News-Gazette All-State Player of the Year • As a junior, averaged 25.0 points and 11.0 rebounds at Rolling Meadows • MaxPreps Sophomore All-America Third Team (2019) • City/Suburban Hoops Report All-State First Team (2019) • USA Today All-USA Illinois First Team (2019) • Illinois All-State first team (2019) • MSL Conference Player of the Year and All-MSL East Conference (2019) • As a sophomore in 2018-19, led his team to a 15-11 record and the regional semifinals; averaging 25.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists • Scored 51 points in a single game • Produced 10 double-doubles and one triple-double • Averaged 16.5 points in 11 games for the Illinois Wolves in the Under Armour Association in 2019 • He shot 42.9% from 3-point range • Has extensive experience with USA Basketball • Earned a gold medal at the 2019 FIBA Americas U16 Championship • Named to the 2021 USA Nike Hoop Summit Team in March 2021 (not played due to COVID-19 pandemic) • Participated in the 2019 USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team October minicamp • Member of the 2019 USA Basketball Team that posted a 6-0 record en route to a gold medal in Brazil, averaging 9.5 points and 3.3 rebounds • Participated in the 2019 USA Junior National Team April minicamp at the NCAA Men’s Final Four.

PERSONALCormac Karl Christie Jr. • The son of Cormac (Max) Sr. and Katrina Christie • Born on &nbsp;February 10, 2003 • Has a younger brother, Cameron • His mother played and scored more than 1,000 points at Northwestern • His father played at Wisconsin-Superior • Great grandfather, Clarence Gilley, served in the United States Army • Started playing basketball in first grade • Enjoys video games, watching television and movies and hanging out with his brother • Top-five movies are Black Panther, Infinity War, 22 Jump Street, Mall Cop 2 and Pacific Rim • Favorite player is Kevin Durant because they have a similar playing style and versatility • Favorite class in high school was AP world history • Favorite pregame meal is Jimmy Johns No. 4 with cucumbers and tomatoes • Draws inspiration from his family • If he could play any other sport professionally, it would be football or darts • Comes from the same high school as San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garappolo • Plans to major in communication.

Max Christie

2022 Draft Workouts: Max Christie

Christie, Watson Offer Intrigue with Youth, Potential

Max Christie: 2022 Draft Prospect