The Los Angeles Lakers are coming into the 2024-25 NBA season as the only team in the league who did not make any free agent signings in the offseason. That means that they’re going to be looking for breakout seasons from key players. One player in particular that the Lakers should expect a big season from is Max Christie.
Christie is entering his third year in the NBA, and to this point he hasn’t really factored much into the Lakers rotations. As a rookie, he spent a lot of time in the G League with the South Bay Lakers. Last season, he played sparingly. But under new head coach JJ Redick, the Lakers should see Christie take on a bigger role.
Simply put, he is probably the guard with the most upside on the Lakers bench. During the offseason, Max Christie signed a four-year, $32 million contract in free agency to remain with the Lakers. The team obviously is committed to his development. This is the year that their investment begins to show.
With Austin Reaves nursing an ankle injury, Christie got the start agains the Milwaukee Bucks in preseason this week. He had a solid outing of eight points in 15 minutes while shooting 2-of-2 from the three-point line.
Following Lakers practice on Saturday, Christie spoke about his comfort level with the starting unit.
“It felt comfortable, kind of just stepping in while AR was out, just kind of stepping into that same role and kind of being the utility guy,” Christie said. “I’ve played with these guys for two years now, so I kind of know how they play. . .what I can do to help them.”
Max Christie can shine offensively for the Lakers
One of the biggest areas that Max Christie can help the Lakers is on the offensive end. The Lakers needed someone to be able to consistently knock down three-point shots last year and that’s where Christie can come in and contribute.
Despite limited playing time his first two seasons, Christie shot very well from three-point range. He knocked down long-range shots at a 41.9 percent clip as a rookie, and 35.6 percent last season. That was on close to two attempts per game, so obviously a small sample size.
In early preseason showing, Christie is taking around five attempts from three-point range and hitting them at a 33.3 percent clip. Lakers head coach JJ Redick has challenged this team to attempt more three-point shots, as per Robert Marvi of LeBron Wire. For Christie to be at the five to six attempt mark per game, that would probably be a good sign.
But Christie has a little bit more of a versatile skill-set on the offensive end. During preseason games, he’s shown the ability to make good reads, handle the ball and make plays off the dribble, getting to the basket and shooting little floaters.
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Max Christie can be a good defender for the Lakers
When it comes to the other end of the court, Christie possess the ability to be a good wing defender. He’s physical on the ball and capable of forcing turnovers. He has good size too; he’s strong with a long wingspan allowing him to matchup against bigger wings.
Christie is unique in the sense that no other wing or guard on the team has his combination of offensive and defensive skills to go along with his size and length. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Christie come in and be used as a defensive stopper at times this season.
During the Lakers first preseason game agains the Phoenix Suns, Christie also showed that he’s able to pick up full court.
Overall, Christie probably has the most potential of all the Lakers’ young players. His development can really raise the team’s ceiling. And he’s in perfect position to have a breakout season.
