Tom Izzo didn’t have many one-time players at Michigan State, but one of the most surprising one-year signings was Max Christie.

The former five-star recruit played well in his first year with the Spartans, but it didn’t feel good enough to jump to the NBA right away. But he did, and the Lakers took a chance on him early in the second round at No. 35 overall.

He played minimal bench time in his first two seasons with the Lakers. He averaged 3.1 points on 42 percent shooting as a freshman, but averaged 4.2 points on 43 percent shooting as a sophomore. But in year three, he’s having the best year of his career to date, averaging seven more minutes per game than he did a season ago despite starting seven games (he had 10 total starts in his first two years). He is currently averaging 6.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting 43 percent from the floor – all career highs.

On Monday he faced the Detroit Pistons and delivered the best game of his NBA career with 17 points. He also had two steals and a rebound and made 6 of 10 shots from the floor in 33 minutes. Even though the Lakers lost, this could be the stepping stone to bigger games.

Christie has been in the starting lineup for a few weeks and has played well. He is in the midst of the most productive month of his career, averaging 9.3 points and 3.5 rebounds, making 42 percent of his three-pointers.

While we all wish he would stay in East Lansing longer, it’s nice to see him finally take on a role in the NBA.