5-Star SG Max Christie Commits to Michigan State over Duke, More

Max Christie is going to take the next step in his basketball career by playing for Tom Izzo at Michigan State, starting with the 2021-22 season.

Christie announced his decision Tuesday on Fox's College Hoops with Andy Katz, noting he's 100 percent committed to Michigan State and hasn't received any offers from the G League's pathway program:

The Illinois native has immediate impact potential because of his ability to score. He won a gold medal with Team USA at the FIBA U16 Championships in 2019 and averaged 25.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Rolling Meadows High School.

That skill set has rocketed him to the top of most recruiting rankings. He's a 5-star prospect, the No. 1 shooting guard and No. 13 overall player in the 2021 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Brian Snow of 247Sports offered this assessment of Christie's talent:

"He has good size and length, and while he needs to get stronger, that will come in time. Right now is at his best as a shooter, where his height and long arms allow him to shoot over nearly every defender. But if a bigger player is on him, he is also athletic enough and good enough with the dribble to go past them. A highly skilled prospect who can play anywhere on the perimeter."

Izzo and his staff are putting on a recruiting clinic right now that should have other programs nervous about what the Spartans could look like. 

Emoni Bates, the top overall player in the 2022 class, announced last week on SportsCenter that he will be attending Michigan State. 

Christie becomes the second player in the 2021 recruiting cycle to commit to Michigan State. Pierre Brooks, rated as a 4-star prospect by 247Sports' composite rankings, announced in April he would play for the Spartans. 

Izzo is setting himself up well to have Michigan State back atop the Big Ten and competing for national titles coming off an occasionally frustrating 2019-20 season that saw the team finish with a 22-9 record.