A larger role can quietly pull a player away from his best work. For Max Christie and the Dallas Mavericks, the early 2026-27 question is not whether he should handle the ball more. It is whether that experiment comes at the expense of the shooting that already gives him clear offensive value.
At the Sept. 25 media day, coach Dusty May outlined a role that could include occasional primary handling alongside wing and movement-shooting duties. Dallas began camp the next day. That plan is sensible. Christie has the workload to merit a broader offensive test, but the Mavericks should expand his decisions without turning a proven spacer into a generic all-purpose wing.
The shooting is the foundation. Christie played 77 games in the 2025-26 regular season, starting 68, and made 40.4% of his 5.8 three-point attempts per game. His 180 makes on 446 attempts were not a decorative feature of his season. They were the skill that allowed him to contribute even when the possession belonged to somebody else.
Dallas made 34.4% of its threes while attempting 31.9 per game. In that setting, a reliable movement shooter carries value beyond his own attempts. Christie’s presence can stretch a defense before he receives the ball, open driving space for a teammate and punish a late closeout. His next offensive step should preserve those effects, not merely add touches to his stat line.
The case for handling is real, though narrower than a full offensive conversion. Christie averaged 12.3 points, 2.0 assists and 1.2 turnovers in 29.1 minutes, producing a 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio. Those numbers support giving him more opportunities to make a play.
They do not require Dallas to treat primary creation as his established identity. The proposed expansion should be judged by the advantages it creates around his existing skill.
That can mean attacking a hard closeout, advancing the ball into an unsettled defense or making the next pass after help arrives.
If the defender stays attached to Christie, he can use a dribble to reach the next decision; if the defense gives him a clean lane, he can pressure it; if help shuts down the first option, the ball should move and Christie should return to a useful shooting window.
The aim is to make the defense solve another problem, then move on before an advantage disappears.
A few useful decisions could do more for Dallas than an entirely new job.
The danger is easy to identify: extra involvement becomes extra dribbling. If Christie’s added possessions replace clean three-point chances without creating pressure near the basket or an advantage for a teammate, Dallas has traded a known strength for a vague idea of versatility. A 40.4% shooter should not have to prove his value by becoming less available to shoot.
