Michigan State Basketball: Max Christie not one-and-done lock

Michigan State basketball commit Max Christie is one of the best players in the 2021 class and many are assuming he’s a one-and-done. Not so fast.

Max Christie made Michigan State fans very happy on Tuesday afternoon when he took to a Zoom call with Andy Katz of FOX Sports and announced his commitment.

The pledge didn’t come as a major shock because he’d been trending toward the Spartans for weeks and all of the Crystal Balls were in Michigan State’s corner leading up to the decision. He joined the Spartans just one week after No. 1 overall national recruit Emoni Bates committed and the two could team up in 2021.

As the No. 1 shooting guard in the country for 2021 and No. 13 overall, many are just assuming that Christie is a one-and-done recruit. That may not exactly be the case.

Christie’s high school coach was very open about what the five-star guard was looking at when choosing a college. Stating that Christie was smart enough to look for a school he’d be completely comfortable with for four years in basketball and academics and not just the former was huge. This shows that Max is a smart kid.

It also shows that while basketball is important, academics are a priority for him and his family — his mother is a Northwestern grad.

No one is saying that Christie is staying four years — and he shouldn’t — but just assuming that he’s only stopping by for a season before moving on was a little premature. This kid takes academics seriously and a two-and-done career in East Lansing isn’t out of the question. Gary Harris did it, too.

What the 2021 Michigan State basketball class could look like

The 6-foot-6 shooting guard weighs just 165 pounds soaking wet and it shows, but if he adds some weight while in East Lansing, he could be a Harris-type of player.

Christie joins Pierre Brooks, the state of Michigan’s No. 1 recruit, and potentially Emoni Bates in the growing 2021 class. If Bates reclassifies, that would easily give the Spartans the No. 1 class for 2021 and I think the chances of that happening are high. He’s on track to graduate and he’d be the small forward in an elite starting lineup with Christie at shooting guard.

Then you add in Brooks off the bench and four-star point guard Jaden Akins and you have a class that rivals any that Tom Izzo has ever pieced together.

We are looking at quite the roster for 2021-22.