My buddy and I went to see a few future Michigan hoops targets--sophomore Max Christie of Rolling Meadows, Illinois, and junior D.J. Steward of Chicago Whitney Young (Christie is clearly a 2021 target; Steward certainly was a 2020target--whether he is still a priority after the Zeb Jackson commitment remains to be seen, but he's certainly good enough be one). Here are my thoughts after watching both.
There's a lot of Jordan Poole in Christie's game. Christie, who is about 6’4”-6’5” and rail thin (probably 160-165 or so) plays on a bad team (they lost by double digits--Christie had 27) where he is simultaneously forced to play center on defense (he’s the biggest kid on his team by a couple of inches) and point guard on offense (he’s the only guy with any ability to create shots). This leaves him susceptible to double and even triple teams and traps, and he committed several turnovers (at least 5), which mirrors, per posted stats, what he had previously done in the tournament. That said, the kid obviously has big time talent. He has a lot of range on his jumper (5-10 from 3), an extremely quick release, a great first step and good quickness overall combined with good hops, good finishing skills in traffic despite his lack of strength, and pretty good handling and passing skills. He is also money at the line. He needs to work on his court vision a bit (he’s not selfish, and he’s a willing passer in the half court offense, but when he’s driving, he’s creating for himself not others) and get a lot stronger. When you watch him, you have to remember that he’s only 15 and has to do it all on his team. He seems a bit overrated in the 20s, as he's currently listed, but he's clearly a top 50 talent.
Steward’s team advanced to the Proviso West Championship by beating his former team, Fenwick. Stewart was magnificent—28 points, including 4-8 from 3, a whole variety of circus shots in the lane, and some great assists, both in transition and in traffic. Young has him playing off the ball, which may not be his best spot, as he clearly has point guard skills and vision, and he’s only about 6’1”-6’2”, albeit with long arms. His release on his outside jumper is a bit slow, but he’s so quick and athletic as a finisher that he gets it off without a problem because Fenwick didn’t want to get in his grill for fear of being blown by. He has to work on the release though, or he's going to run up against a guy like X on the college level who may give him issues. Defensively, he’s very aggressive on the ball, but ball watches all the time when he’s off ball, and is thus susceptible to back door cuts and getting caught up in screening action—this can be coached out of him, I believe. The best player comparison my friend and I could come up with was Aaron Holiday, formerly of UCLA, now playing in his first year with the Indiana Pacers.He's a bit underrated in the 60s--he's also a top 50 talent.
There's a lot of Jordan Poole in Christie's game. Christie, who is about 6’4”-6’5” and rail thin (probably 160-165 or so) plays on a bad team (they lost by double digits--Christie had 27) where he is simultaneously forced to play center on defense (he’s the biggest kid on his team by a couple of inches) and point guard on offense (he’s the only guy with any ability to create shots). This leaves him susceptible to double and even triple teams and traps, and he committed several turnovers (at least 5), which mirrors, per posted stats, what he had previously done in the tournament. That said, the kid obviously has big time talent. He has a lot of range on his jumper (5-10 from 3), an extremely quick release, a great first step and good quickness overall combined with good hops, good finishing skills in traffic despite his lack of strength, and pretty good handling and passing skills. He is also money at the line. He needs to work on his court vision a bit (he’s not selfish, and he’s a willing passer in the half court offense, but when he’s driving, he’s creating for himself not others) and get a lot stronger. When you watch him, you have to remember that he’s only 15 and has to do it all on his team. He seems a bit overrated in the 20s, as he's currently listed, but he's clearly a top 50 talent.
Steward’s team advanced to the Proviso West Championship by beating his former team, Fenwick. Stewart was magnificent—28 points, including 4-8 from 3, a whole variety of circus shots in the lane, and some great assists, both in transition and in traffic. Young has him playing off the ball, which may not be his best spot, as he clearly has point guard skills and vision, and he’s only about 6’1”-6’2”, albeit with long arms. His release on his outside jumper is a bit slow, but he’s so quick and athletic as a finisher that he gets it off without a problem because Fenwick didn’t want to get in his grill for fear of being blown by. He has to work on the release though, or he's going to run up against a guy like X on the college level who may give him issues. Defensively, he’s very aggressive on the ball, but ball watches all the time when he’s off ball, and is thus susceptible to back door cuts and getting caught up in screening action—this can be coached out of him, I believe. The best player comparison my friend and I could come up with was Aaron Holiday, formerly of UCLA, now playing in his first year with the Indiana Pacers.He's a bit underrated in the 60s--he's also a top 50 talent.
