Clippers select Minnesota guard Cam Christie with the No. 46 pick of NBA draft
The Clippers selected Cam Christie with the 46th pick in the second round of the NBA draft on Thursday.
Christie played at Minnesota, where he averaged 11.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. Christie, who turns 19 next month, is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard who shot 40.3% from the field and 39.1% from three-point range.
“I’m just going to bring a, you know, competitive mentality,” Christie said during an interview with ESPN moments after he was drafted. “Every day, I’m going to show up. I know I have a lot of work to do, but I have a lot of motivation and good people behind me to kind of propel me to help me get to that point.”
The Clippers will likely get a guard or wing with the 46th pick in the NBA draft, but a bigger question is whether Paul George has a future with the team.
His brother, Max Christie, plays for the Lakers.
“It’s super cool to be NBA brothers,” Cam said of joining his brother Max in the league. “It’s really dope. So, I thank him a lot for everything he’s taught me and I’m super excited to go out and compete against him.”
Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, said, “You take age into account, but we also go best player. And when you’re projecting out, what you’re looking at is what does he look like two, three, four years from now? With shooting being his best skill, and a lot to do with it, which is an extremely important thing, he has good size for the position but he’s going to have to get stronger.”
On his shooting?
“I think, No. 1, you got to start with what he does well,” Frank said. “The shooting piece. He shot 39% from three. Now you want to say, ‘Can you get that into an elite level, on the NBA line? Can we get him to the 40s?’ Then all of a sudden you become a whole lot quicker just the way teams close out to you. Now he is a terrific pull-up jump shooter. As he gets stronger, he’ll become a better finisher.”
Sixers draft Bona
The Philadelphia 76ers selected UCLA’s Adem Bona on Thursday, using the No. 41 overall pick. Bona, who grew up in Nigeria, was a two-year starter for the Bruins. He averaged 10.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.7 blocks in 66 games.
“It means the world to me,” Bona said during the ESPN draft broadcast. “I represent a lot of people. I represent two countries, and I know that back home, they’re very proud of me.”
Bona was the 2024 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and became the fourth Bruin to be drafted during the past two seasons.
“I can’t wait to get there to get to work,” Bona told reporters at the draft. “I’m so excited to be there. Actually, my older brother is a Philly fan. He’s really excited right now, probably. He’s back home in Nigeria watching.”
Etc.
The Utah Jazz selected USC point guard Isaiah Collier in the first round with the 29th overall pick on Wednesday. ... Atlanta moved back in the NBA draft by trading forward AJ Griffin, a former first-round pick, to Houston for the No. 44 pick, Arizona guard Pelle Larsson.
Check back soon for more updates.
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