{"id":166156,"date":"2025-11-08T13:45:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T18:45:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=166156"},"modified":"2025-11-08T13:45:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T18:45:14","slug":"cam-christie-save-clippers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/11\/08\/cam-christie-save-clippers\/","title":{"rendered":"How a Sophomore Guard Can Help Save The Clippers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Los Angeles Clippers have underperformed to start the season, but their mediocrity has revealed a hidden gem. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Playing without <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/leonaka01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kawhi Leonard<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hardeja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">James Harden<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on Thursday, the team may have suffered their worst loss of the season so far to the Phoenix Suns. But sophomore guard Cam Christie can help the Clippers get back on the right track.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>How a Sophomore Guard Can Help Save The Clippers<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/chrisca02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cam Christie<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> came out of the loss to the Suns looking like a potential piece for Ty Lue in the rotation. He played 25 minutes and finished with 17 points, three assists, two rebounds and a steal. Sure, most of his minutes and impact came in the final frame when the Clippers threw the white flag, but everyone who watched the game can\u2019t deny the 20-year-old\u2019s potential.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 2024 second-round pick was confident and aggressive. Not too aggressive that he chalked up meaningless shots and turned the ball over. In fact, he committed no turnovers \u2014a field in which Los Angeles has been struggling this season \u2014and was efficient, shooting 71.4% (5 for 7). The assertiveness was also on full display defensively, pushing the pace and garnering stops even before the fourth quarter.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Cam Christie 17 PTS, 3 AST, 1 STL, 5\/7 FG, 2\/3 3FG in LA Clippers vs Phoenix Suns on Thursday <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pkEVptioGr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/pkEVptioGr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Recent NBA (@recentnba) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/recentnba\/status\/1986832304518439242?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 7, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Christie only played 13 games for the Clippers last season, averaging 4.5 minutes and 1.4 points. This year, he&#8217;s recording 6.2 points in 10.0 minutes. Lue has clearly emphasized his development this season, trusting him enough to see plenty of action Thursday, albeit most of it came in garbage time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was the game you\u2019d want to see in your young guard. But for the Clippers, who have yet to see any meaningful impact from their new arrivals and have nonexistent draft capital for the next four years, it\u2019s a performance that could give you hope for the season and beyond.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_166173\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-166173\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-166173 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/11\/USATSI_27523117_168402036_lowres-1024x731.jpg\" alt=\"Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) against Los Angeles Clippers guard Cam Christie in the first half at the Mortgage Matchup Center.\" width=\"640\" height=\"457\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/11\/USATSI_27523117_168402036_lowres-1024x731.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/11\/USATSI_27523117_168402036_lowres-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/11\/USATSI_27523117_168402036_lowres-768x548.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/11\/USATSI_27523117_168402036_lowres.jpg 1511w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-166173\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nov 6, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) against Los Angeles Clippers guard Cam Christie in the first half at the Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><b>A Hidden Gem<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s still early, but the team&#8217;s recent performances don\u2019t indicate that they can compete for the chip this year. An upset loss to the Utah Jazz in the season opener should\u2019ve been a sign that this is not the same energetic squad that won 50 games in 2024-25.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although Harden and Leonard have dished out their usual production, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the rest of the team has not stepped up so far<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/z\/zubaciv01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ivica Zubac<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has been a step slower compared to recent seasons. <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bealbr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bradley Beal<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has failed to generate <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/powelno01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Norman Powell\u2019s<\/a> much-needed impact as the team\u2019s third option. Beal&#8217;s return from injury hasn&#8217;t helped the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/10\/31\/bradley-beals-return-should-fix-clippers-offensive-woes\/\" target=\"_self\">Clippers&#8217; offensive woes<\/a> either.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fellow new arrival <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/paulch01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chris Paul<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has also failed to stamp himself as a reliable facilitator for the team\u2019s secondary lineups. This is how Christie\u2019s youthful exuberance could play a factor. At 40, Paul has significantly decreased his effectiveness as a playmaker. He could instead serve as a mentor for Christie, who can be Harden\u2019s replacement off the bench. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mix that with a lineup alongside <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/collijo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">John Collins<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, who Lue has seemingly stamped as the Clippers&#8217; sixth man, and <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/lopezbr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brook Lopez<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and you have a lineup capable of being a spacing nightmare for defenses while Leonard, Harden, and Zubac get rest.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The Last Word<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The game against the Suns is just a minuscule sample size to judge a player\u2019s effectiveness for the rest of the season. However, w<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ith recent subpar performances and Leonard suffering from an ankle sprain. It won\u2019t hurt Lue to give Christie some meaningful minutes to see how he can be truly integrated into his system.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experience is in abundance for the Clippers this season. So why not let one of their few young guns soak it all up with minutes on the floor? If Christie\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">can match his brother&#8217;s capabilities, Los Angeles might have someone to develop and <\/span>turn the season around.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Featured image: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Los Angeles Clippers have underperformed to start the season, but their mediocrity has revealed a hidden gem. Playing without Kawhi Leonard and James Harden on Thursday, the team may have suffered their worst loss of the season so far to the Phoenix Suns. But sophomore guard Cam Christie can help the Clippers get back [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5669,"featured_media":166171,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,27,62],"tags":[311,233,652,444,998,168],"class_list":["post-166156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-clippers","category-nba","tag-bradley-beal","tag-brook-lopez","tag-ivica-zubac","tag-james-harden","tag-john-collins","tag-kawhi-leonard"],"modified_by":"Kayla Fonte","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5669"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166156"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166156\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":166175,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166156\/revisions\/166175"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}