Side by side with key component, senior forward Brown, the 6'6 guard led the Spartans to their first victory of the 2021-22 preseason over Ferris State. The two combined for 36 points.

Christie tallied 17 points, going five for seven from the field and six for seven from the line, with four rebounds, three steals and one assist in just under 20 minutes.

"I just wanted the game to come to me. It was my first game, it was a new experience for all of us, and I wanted to make sure I was making the right plays, making the right reads. Eventually, the game did come to me. I was able to get more comfortable, able to take the shots I wanted to take, get to the rim and the free throw line," Christie said postgame.

Christie has a high basketball IQ and a solid feel of the court already. He jumps into action at whatever is needed in order to secure points for the Spartan pack and he does so with ease. Christie was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top guards in the 2021 class for a reason. As a senior in high school, he averaged 24 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.1 steals per game, leading his team to be an undefeated 15-0.

He was selected as the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year, News-Gazette All-State Player of the Year and the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year. His name was also found on the rosters for the McDonald's All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit.

"I have the ability, if we really need a bucket, I can get it. ... At this point, and just in general for me, I like to let the game come to me. I don't want to force myself into (bad plays)," Christie added.

Being a part of the starting five in your first collegiate game is an honor in itself, even if it is just an exhibition match. But to then go out there and prove exactly why you deserve the role you've been given by sinking your teeth into the opponent? And then to have head coach Tom Izzo give you nothing but praise and admiration after the fact? As a freshman?

"Max was every bit as good as the billing," Izzo said postgame.

In terms of his defensive stance tonight, his biggest goal was holding it down. He wanted the offense to come to him naturally from what his defense brought. He thought he found himself filling in the gaps nicely and, while he didn't expect it of himself, he knows it's what he's capable of.

Besides his ability to of course, shoot the ball, Christie said he's been working hard in the weight room to become a more physically explosive player and his main priority is to take whatever shots fall into his hands. Like fate, sometimes they happen to be an attempt you don't expect, but you take advantage of it for the good of the team.

"There's going to be silly mistakes that we're all going to make, but I think it's all an easy fix. I don't think we're really worried about something we can fix over time," Christie said.

Alongside fellow freshman guard Jaden Akins and Brown both, Christie will become a force to be reckoned with quite quickly in the green and white.

In observation, he could become the go-to scorer this year, especially after MSU lost four of its five top scorers to the NBA Draft and the transfer portal this past summer.

He's learning from some of the best and, truthfully, between Brown, Malik Hall, A.J. Hoggard and Joey Hauser, he doesn't have much catching up to do when it comes to solidifying a more frequent spot in the starting lineup.