PLAYA VISTA — At 18 years old, Cam Christie is the youngest player on the Clippers. But his age or the way he talks (everything is “super’ this or “super” that) isn’t the only way he stands out.
First, he has an older brother who plays across town for the Lakers, which has given him an edge to life in the NBA. Christie’s parents also played basketball, making his still-improving talent a family legacy.
And though viewed as a long-term project for the Clippers, the second-round pick has a tremendous upside, said assistant Dahntay Jones, who is coaching the team’s Summer League entry.
“I’m a big guy on energy, right, and Cam has a lot of positive energy,” Jones said Sunday as the Clippers young players got ready to head to Las Vegas. “He comes in with a lot of confidence for a young kid. He loves basketball, he shoots extremely well. He’s a really good basketball player and a really good kid.”
The Clippers used their lone pick at No. 46 on the younger brother of the Lakers’ Max Christie, who is starting his third year in the league. Together, the brothers watched this year’s Draft along with the rest of their family.
“He was with me, so it was super cool,” Cam Christie said. “My whole family was with me on draft night. I’m just super excited with the way it all worked out.”
Now, however, the real work begins. Christie, a shooting guard who possesses a 6-foot-8 wingspan, is a confident shooter who can create shots off screens and the dribble. In his one season at the University of Minnesota, he displayed the ability to score, pass and defend as well as play multiple positions.
Defensively, Christie needs to prove his 6-8, 190-pound frame is strong enough to survive the rigors of the NBA. He said he knows what first steps he needs to take and hopes to use the summer league experience to show off his playmaking skills.
“Just going out there, showing everybody what I can do, showing everybody how much I’ve improved my game since the last time I’ve been on the floor,” Christie said.
“I need to be myself and to know that even though I am 18, super young compared to the other guys on the team or in the league, I’m not letting that deter me. Just staying confident in who I am and knowing I’m a great shooter. And then just playing basketball in general just being comfortable with who I am.”
Establishing his own identity is a big part of Christie’s first-year goals. Growing up in Rolling Hills, Illinois, he was forever known as “Max’s little brother,” which wasn’t always a bad thing.
“(Getting out of his shadow) is super important,” he said. “It’s something I take pride in. I don’t feel pressure to do that, but I think that’s something that’s going to naturally happen. We are two different people, two different players.
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“I just need to be myself and not somebody I’m not.”
Christie, who turns 19 later this month, agreed to a four-year, $7.9 million deal with the Clippers, said he and Max knew from a young age that they would both someday meet in the NBA. He credited his father for molding the brothers’ shots since they were young.
“We both had it on our minds,” he said. “It wasn’t something that needed to be said; we both just had it in our minds. Obviously, you want to reach the highest level of your craft, so for us to have that opportunity, it’s super cool.”
CLIPPERS SUMMER SCHEDULE
The Clippers will play five Summer League games starting with a July 12 contest against the Denver Nuggets at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Other games scheduled are July 14 vs. Brooklyn Nets; July 16 vs. Milwaukee Bucks, and July 18 vs. Utah Jazz. Their final game is to be determined.