After a blistering start to the season, Mavs shooting guard Max Christie has gone cold. That slump, he says, won't shy him away from still getting shots up.
Max Christie got the 2025-26 season started with some of the best 3-point shooting in Dallas Mavericks history to begin a season. The fourth-year guard got his first full season in Dallas off to a hot start with a 51 percent 3-point shooting clip in the month of October, 42 percent in November and 52 percent in December.
But since becoming a regular starter at the turn of the calendar year, he's seen those numbers take a nose dive.
Christie shot 40 percent from distance in 13 games started in January, but in February that efficiency dropped to 30 percent. So far in March, he's shooting 31 percent from beyond the arc.
"It gets tough sometimes, for sure," Christie told The Dallas Morning News about his shooting woes. "I believe in myself as a shooter. To be able to go through stretches like these, it can be frustrating at times but you just gotta continue to take it a day at a time."
Christie's struggles can be compared to the Mavs' awful stretch recently, as well, where Dallas has lost its last eight games and 18 of the last 20 in total.
Despite the Mavericks more focused on boosting their lottery odds in the upcoming NBA Draft than they are aiming for a play-in berth, Christie has already proven to be a building block for the future of the franchise under emerging star rookie Cooper Flagg.
That impression has been made on Klay Thompson, the veteran Mavs role player who happens to be one of the greatest shooters in league history and a perfect model to help Christie improve his game, but more importantly, navigate a slump.
"Max, so far, has already had a great season," Thompson said this week. "A great shooter who is only going to get better and I just tell him to give himself some grace because Max might be 22 years old and there’s a lot of players in the NBA who aren’t as effective as him.
"He’s got so many great years ahead of him and I just tell him to be as present as possible."
Just as Christie has seen a downward tick in his percentages, Thompson has experienced the inverse. The 15-year vet and four-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors got off to a putrid start (especially for his standards) from 3-point land. Once he moved to an off-the-bench role was when he finally showed signs of his former All-Star self.
Thompson has hit five or more 3s in three of the Mavs' last four games, including a 7-for-12 outing from behind the arc in a one-point loss at the Orlando Magic on March 5. He is shooting a flaming-hot 53 percent from distance over those four games (which somehow includes a 2-for-10 night that slightly muddles the statistics).
"I was just taking what the defense gives me and I got a couple of open looks from my teammates, and I got in a little rhythm," Thompson said after the game in Atlanta on Tuesday. "Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough [to get a win], but it’s always fun to shoot the ball well."
The Mavs hit the floor next on Thursday, March 12, at the Memphis Grizzlies, but Thompson will not be in action due to rest. It provides an opportunity for Christie to space out on the wing and shoot his way out of this funk.
"It’s easy to try to get it all back in one day and try to just force it all back,” Christie reflected, "but [I’m] taking it taking it step by step and continuing to believe. [I’m] not allowing the stretch to define what’s happened the whole season."
Dallas (21-44) plays the finale of its season-long six-game road stretch. Memphis (23-41) sits two spots above the Mavs at 11th in the Western Conference standings. The game will take place at 7 p.m. CST from FedEx Forum and broadcast on WFAA and KFAA-29 in Dallas.
