When Semaj Christonannounced recently that he was leaving Xavier for the NBA, it caught a lot of people by surprise. The surprise wasn’t the fact that he views himself as an NBA player, but more that it seemed rushed. After all, he did have two seasons left and with guys like Andrew Wiggins expected to make the lottery jam-packed in talent, it seemed as though Christon could be a guy to take advantage of the extra time.
He didn’t, which is unfortunate, because the talented point guard has a few things he needs to work on, his maturity included. For one, Christon needs to consistently make free throws. For a guy that went to the line as often as he did (235 times), only making 157 is unacceptable. It almost devalues his ability to drive in the lane fearlessly and make an athletic attempt at a shot.
That does bring up a skill of his that is just that, a skill. No one will ever argue his athleticism, which in college was the best on the floor each night. He is really long and athletic and really uses his quickness to get to the hoop. When he gets there, he does have a solid array of moves that allow him to finish with success at times. Other times, frankly, he looks hideous. His decision making skills are highly in question, evidenced by nearly committing 200 turnovers in two years at Xavier.
That said, Christon is one fantastic athlete. He will go from the top of the key to laying the ball in the cup in the blink of an eye. His rangy body, standing a 6’3’’, really help him in reaching the bucket from further away. The question is, though, was that just because he was facing inferior opponents, something that will change at the NBA?
To round out his game, Christon would need to develop a better shot at the NBA level. We’ve already discussed his poor decision making with the turnovers, so he would frankly be an awful point guard. But if he can touch up his shot and find a more consistent one, he could at least be an NBA two-guard with the ball out of his hands.
Finally, his maturity has at least raised questions. I have not seen enough poor acts or outbursts to call him completely immature, but there have been antics and things that at least force raised eyebrows. For example, in a game his team trailed by nearly 15 points, he made a lay-up and taunted Villanova’s Daniel Ochefu. He is a great athlete, but you have to wonder what is going on in his mind during an act like that.
Pro Comparison: Sebastian Telfair
The Verdict: This guy would probably give Brett Brown fits. Having said that, he still is a heck of a player. Though he has a few gaps and areas that need to improve, he would be worth the gamble of a second round pick. The only problem with that, however, is that he will likely not be around there and so it would be downright foolish for a rebuilding team to spend a lottery pick on Christon.
