Position: Shooting Guard | ||
Number: 13 | ||
Age: 28 | ||
Height: 6'6" | ||
Weight: 205 | ||
Years as Pro: 6 | ||
Doug Christie is the starting shooting guard, co-captain, and marquee player for the Toronto Raptors. Little known before coming to Toronto, he proved to be a great defensive player and solid scorer when given the opportunity to play full-time.
Christie was taken by the Seattle Supersonics with the 17th pick in the 1992 NBA draft. He had a contract dispute with the team and never played a game in Seattle before being traded along with Benoit Benjamin to the L.A. Lakers for Sam Perkins in 1993. He played sporadically in L.A. before being traded to the New York Knicks, where he found himself relegated to the end of the bench. In what must rank as one of former Raptor GM Isiah Thomas's best moves, he came to Toronto along with Herb Williams in a trade for Victor Alexander and Willie Anderson in February 1996.
Christie quickly earned a spot in the starting lineup, and had a great season in 1996-97, finishing second to Isaac Austin in the voting for Most Improved Player. His good play continued in 1997-98, as he finished third in the league in steals and led the Raptors in scoring. After the Stoudamire trade, Christie expressed frustration with Toronto and also asked for a trade. GM Glen Grunwald made it clear that he would not trade Christie (who is signed to a long-term contract) and Christie returned this year with a renewed commitment to the team. Although the addition of free agents Willis and Oakley will remove some of the pressure from Christie's shoulders, his performance will play a major role in determining how well the Raptors do this year.
Year | G | FG% | 3 PT% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1997-98 | 78 | .428 | .326 | .829 | 5.2 | 3.6 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 16.5 |
Career | 314 | .426 | .359 | .772 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 11.8 |