One piece of continuous messaging from the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason is that Max Christie, the third-year Michigan State guard, would see a significant increase in role and responsibility this season. Christie didn’t get much playing time under former head coach Darvin Ham, but his 3-and-D game should complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
JJ Redick, the new head coach, has mentioned multiple times that Christie has improved this summer and believes he will be appropriately utilized in his system. So, the expectation is that Christie will have his best season to date.
And James reinforced that view, as Lakers workouts for the 2024-25 season begin. He discussed Christie’s performance thus far and his expectations for the rookie guard’s future.
“Fantastic. “I believe Max will be an important part of our rotation,” James said during the Lakers’ first practice. “He is becoming better and better. I’m glad we were able to bring him back for the summer. I expect a good future from him.”
Playing alongside James has aided the growth of numerous young players over the last two decades. Even when James was young, he had a way of improving the players around him, and more opportunities for Christie improve the likelihood of this happening.
The Lakers have witnessed the results of James playing alongside a young guard with 3-and-D abilities such as Alex Caruso and Austin Reaves. And it might be argued that Christie has the best combination of offence and defence, giving him an even better chance of success next to James.
If he makes the breakthrough that many expect in the organization, Christie’s four-year, $32 million contract from the summer will look even more attractive.
Max Christie is ready for a consistent role.
Max Christie must demonstrate that he is capable of playing significant minutes at the NBA level this season. He has never had this type of opportunity in the Lakers rotation. So, in addition to the work he’s done on the court this offseason, he needs to find something to build on from his first two seasons.
For Christie, this means recalling the lessons he learned from watching the Lakers’ stars over the last two seasons. He talked about them at Lakers Media Day.
“I think the first two years for me, I got a little bit of experience under my belt,” Christie told reporters. “But I think the most important thing is that I’ve had the opportunity to witness some of our team’s top athletes and how they conduct themselves. And I hope to be able to study that and see how they do it this year, when I win a rotation position, so that I can come in and apply it. Try to have as much impact on the game as possible.
“We have a great team this year, and our goal is always to win the championship. So I’m excited to participate in any manner I can. In the last two years of watching us win at a high level, we’ve made the playoffs both years, so we’re just trying to build on that.”
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