By: Josh Bozzick ~Staff Writer~
Former Xavier shooting guard Semaj Christon, who played two seasons for the Musketeers, made the Oklahoma City Thunder’s opening day roster last week. Christon’s road to the NBA was comparable to climbing a mountain: there were a lot of ups and downs, and there were many divots on the way. Through it all, he kept pushing until he was awarded a spot on an NBA team.
Drafted in 2014, Christon was selected by the Miami Heat as the No. 55 pick. Shortly after the selection, his draft rights were traded to the Charlotte Hornets, and then for a second time to the Thunder.
Christon spent the 2014-15 season as a member of the Thunder’s NBA Development League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue. In 44 games played, he finished the season for the Blue averaging 18.6 points, 5.6 assists and 3.7 rebounds and was a D-League All-Star.
In the 2015-16 season, Christon played for the Consultinvest Pesaro in the Italian Serie A league. Christon averaged 14.3 points, 3.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds throughout a 30-game season for the Italian club.
This past summer, Christon took part in the NBA Summer League for a third consecutive year. Competing in the Orlando Pro Summer League, Christon averaged 16.8 points, good for second on the team, and 4.2 assists, which led the team.
His performance nabbed him a two-year contract with the Thunder, and he was invited to partake in the Thunder’s training camp for the first time.
Since making the cut last week, Christon has done well. Having played three games thus far, Christon has averaged 3.7 points and 2.0 assists in 15.3 minutes per contest.
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