Last year’s second round draft pick of the Los Angeles Lakers Max Christie was able to showcase his talent and upside in the Las Vegas Summer League and was named to All-Summer League Second Team as a result. In the three games he played, Christie led the team in scoring with 19.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.3 blocks.
The former Michigan State Spartan has done more than enough to prove his case for rotational minutes in the 2023-24 season. In a short amount of time, Christie has been able to put on some muscle and add new wrinkles into his game like ball-handling and shot creation.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has taken note of the work the guard is putting in and believes he is going to be a ‘force’ in training camp when fighting for a rotation spot. Cole Swider, one of Christie’s Summer League teammates, also chimed in on his work ethic, via Jovan Buha of The Athletic:
“He meditates. He breathes. … He’s in the cold tub every day up to his chest. No 20-year-old is doing that,” said second-year teammate Cole Swider, a two-way contract player who’s been with Christie throughout his time in the G League and the Lakers. “So he does everything it takes to be successful — almost too much sometimes. He wants to get in the gym too much. I’m like, ‘Max, you gotta chill out, bro. You got it.'”
Unfortunately due to a hip strain, Christie missed the last two games of Summer League. But, it was for the best to be precautionary and he already proved what he is capable heading into his sophomore campaign. It’ll be interesting to see how he is used in preseason play, allowing for him to get more reps against NBA-level competition.
However, Christie still has more work to do to separate himself from the other guards ahead of him in the rotation such as Gabe Vincent, Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell.
The guard room is a bit crowded, but Christie’s performance in Summer League has allowed for him to plant the seed in the coaching staff that he is ready for rotation minutes.
Darvin Ham praises Max Christie’s leadership during Summer League
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham also brought to light a new trait that Christie has adopted and that is leadership. With Christie being the No. 1 option on the Summer League team and getting some experience with the Lakers last season, he has been able to help out the young guys on the team with his experience.
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