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Clippers 2024-2025 Player Preview: Cam Christie
Our player preview series for the 2025 Clippers continues with Cam Christie, the Clippers’ second-round rookie.
Basic Information
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 190 pounds
Position: Shooting Guard
Age: 19
Years in NBA: Rookie
Key Stats: Averaged 11.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 0.6 steals in 30.1 minutes per game across 33 games in his freshman season at the University of Minnesota on 40.3/39.1/79.1 shooting splits (5.4 3PA and 2.0 FTA) for 54.6 True Shooting
Contract Status: Signed a four-year, $7.9M deal in July with a salary of $1.1M in year one
Expectations
There should be zero expectations for Christie, the youngest player the Clippers have drafted in three years, this season. The Clippers are not the championship contender of yore, but they are still a team that wants to win, has lots of depth everywhere but center, and is willing to take it slow with rookies. With no need on the depth chart for Cam, and his status as a very young second-round rookie, odds are tat he is not going to be in the rotation barring numerous injuries, several players disappointing ahead of him, or a monster training camp.
Strengths
Right now, Cam Christie probably just has one NBA-level strength, which is his three-point shooting. He was a sniper at Minnesota, possessing both volume, accuracy, and variety in three-point shooting. With his 6’6 frame and clean shooting form, there seems to be little doubt that Christie will be a good, maybe even great shooter in the NBA. He certainly looked comfortable shooting from NBA range in Summer League, even though the results were a bit mixed (as one might expect on a small sample size). He’s also a good enough shooter to probably command respect from defenses in the NBA from day one if he does play rotation minutes, which is unusual for a rookie.
For longer term strengths, Christie has good size and length for a shooting guard, which might allow him to guard up or down a position as he gains strength. While not a dynamite athlete, he has some pop, which should allow him to contribute as a cutter and as a runner in transition.
Weaknesses
Christie’s primary weakness at this point, on both ends, is strength. He simply does not have the size and muscle to bang with NBA players on defense, and will get pushed around by larger and stronger players. On offense, the lack of strength forces him to stop short rather than getting all the way to the rim, and will prohibit him from finishing inside at a high efficiency as well. Fortunately, this is something he can work on!
It’s hard to pinpoint on-court weaknesses for Christie since he hasn’t played in the NBA yet, but I’d just say overall outside of shooting he’s a raw-ish prospect. He wasn’t great defensively in college, though he does have the size and length to be solid on that end in time. Christie showed some flashes of attacking closeouts in college, but his handle and passing are a way away from him being any type of creator at the NBA level. He’s very young, so none of this is an indictment – but he was the 44th pick for a reason.
Summary
This is probably going to be almost a redshirt year for Cam,
who needs to bulk up, get acclimated to professional-level play, and learn how
the Clippers want him to operate. It would be stunning if he played much for
the big-league team, instead seeming like a lock for a lot of play in San Diego
with a bit of garbage time mixed in. For those invested in Cam Christie’s
development, heavy monitoring of the G-League team will probably be required.