Josh Christopher’s recruiting decision gives one lucky school a go-to freshman scorer

There aren’t many recruits poised to make an instant impact at the college level like 5-star guard Josh Christopher.

Josh Christopher has always had basketball in his blood. The youngest of four children in a family full of hoopers, Christopher grew up watching his sister Paris get a scholarship to St. Mary’s, his brother Patrick have an excellent four-year stint at Cal before embarking on a pro career, and his other brother Caleb sign with Arizona State last year.

Now it’s time for Christopher to make his college decision. The No. 10 overall prospect in the high school class of 2020 will choose between Michigan, USC, UCLA, Missouri, and Arizona State on Monday as one of the final five-star recruits to announce his plans for next year.

Christopher projects as an instant-impact scorer as a college freshman. The 6’4 shooting guard has been ranked near the top of his class from the moment it started being evaluated. Christopher is well-positioned to be able to handle the physicality of high-major basketball from the jump. He already has a more developed body than many of his peers, and an understanding of how to get to the spots on the floor where he’s comfortable scoring. Christopher might not have the long-term upside of some other five-star prospects in his graduating class, but there’s a case to be made that he is among the most college-ready rising freshmen in the country.

Christopher counts as a good-but-not-quite-elite athlete who has great length for his position with a reported 6’8 wingspan. He put up monster numbers this past season at Maywood High in Lakewood, California, averaging 29.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 3.5 steals per game as a senior. Christopher was also an automatic scorer on grassroots level playing on Nike’s EYBL circuit (21.3 points per game), but his statistical profile did show where he has room to grow: he shot 42.3 percent from the field, and 31.6 percent from three-point range across nine games.

Christopher is projected to go No. 27 overall in ESPN’s 2021 NBA mock draft, making him a likely one-and-done in college. He’ll have a chance to rise up draft boards if he can use his length to make an impact defensively and show improvement in his shooting numbers. For now, think of him as a microwave scorer whose length should overwhelm opponents at the college level. How efficient that scoring will be remains up for debate.

Josh Christopher highlights

Josh Christopher recruiting prediction

While USC has seemingly made a late play to become a serious contender — thank former Trojan Nick Young for that — this still feels like a battle between Michigan and Arizona State.

At Michigan, Christopher would join arguably the best on-paper recruiting class the program has had since the Fab Five — though John Beilein’s class of 2012 is impossibly loaded in hindsight. Michigan already has a commitment if not a signing from Isaiah Todd, a 6’10 big man who 247 Sports ranks as the top recruit in program history dating back to the early 2000s. Fellow top-100 prospects Zeb Jackson (a point guard), Hunter Dickinson (center), and Terrance Williams (forward) round out the class. If Juwan Howard reels in another blue chip prospect like Christopher in his first full class, Michigan could have a chance to compete for a Big Ten title depending on Isaiah Livers’ NBA Draft decision. It has been a tough offseason for the Wolverines so far, watching David DeJulius and Colin Castleton transfer in addition to the announcement that Livers will test the NBA Draft waters

At Arizona State, Christopher would join a backcourt that includes Alonzo Verge and possibly Remy Martin, who has declared for the NBA Draft but isn’t projected to be selected. With all three, Bobby Hurley would have a ton of offensive firepower. The Sun Devils already have one coveted prospect entering the program in Marcus Bagley, who is ranked No. 35 overall in his class by 247 Sports and is the younger brother of Sacramento Kings forward Marvin Bagley III.

Arizona State lost seniors Rob Edwards and Mickey Mitchell to graduation, and saw Romello White test the NBA Draft process in addition to Martin. The program has also lost two sparingly used players to transfer in Khalid Thomas and Elias Valtonen. The Sun Devils would have been an NCAA tournament team this past season at 20-11 overall, and could take a big jump up the standings next year should Christopher commit and White and Martin return.

Prediction: Michigan

Pencil Christopher in at starting shooting guard next to Eli Brooks at the point, Franz Wagner at the three, Livers possibly at four and Todd at the five. Michigan is still losing its heart-and-soul in graduating seniors Jon Teske and Xavier Simpson, but a recruiting haul like this would go a long for into turning the Wolverines into a power program under Howard.