As per usual, the Los Angeles Lakers are on a different microscope than the rest of the league. Not only are they arguably the most popular basketball team in the world, it’s also “championship or bust” when you have LeBron James on deck. There’s constant pressure to surround him and Anthony Davis with the right pieces, and because James is already 40 years old, there’s the heavy need to develop young studs for the future.
Two of those were addressed this past week when D’Angelo Russell was packaged to the Brooklyn Nets. First, the Lake Show got their coveted shooter-slash-defender in Dorian Finney-Smith, and second, it opened up more playing time for third-year guard Max Christie.
The 21-year-old was drafted by the Lakers 35th overall in 2022, and has continued to crawl up on the depth chart:
- 2022-23: 12.5 minutes, 3.1 points
- 2023-24: 14.1 minutes, 4.2 points
- 2024-25: 23.1 minutes, 8.0 points
Slowly but surely, he has gained the trust of the organization – the front office, the coaching staff, and, perhaps the most important, one LeBron Raymone James Sr.
Christie has started every Laker game since December 9th (13 games), and has been particularly thriving over his last seven outings. He’s averaging 15.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game in that stretch, accompanied by efficient shooting splits: 52.3% FG% / 44.7 3FG% / 95.2 FT%. The good effort on on-ball and off-ball defense isn’t forgotten as well, especially when it’s across multiple positions:
Last January 3rd, in only his second game without Russell, Austin Reaves shooting terribly, and the team missing an injured Davis, Christie answered the call and became the second scorer behind James. He notched a career-high 28 points with five threes, alongside two steals and one block.
It was a commendable performance, especially with the personnel the group was in, so much so that it prompted good props from ‘The King’ himself:
“He’s putting in the work, and it’s paying off for him … The coaches believe in him, and we believe in him. He was spectacular tonight on both ends of the floor.
It helps when the coaches believe in you and give you an opportunity to make mistakes when you’re a young kid … You go out there and you live with your mistakes, but you also get better from it.”
Of course, just like any other young player plugged into a much challenging role, there will be ups and downs. In fact, the last part of James’ quote became a foreshadowing of a game just days after, as Christie would commit a costly turnover that led to a loss and killed a would-be Lakers comeback:
It’s an interesting adversity, though. It came early, so we’ll see how well he can respond and let himself continue his path into progression.
