With Anthony Davis out, LeBron James knew he would have to step up in the Los Angeles Lakers’ contest against the Portland Trail Blazers. James finished with 38 points and eight assists, but what was less expected was the contribution of Max Christie.
The third-year guard finished with a career-high 28 points to go along with three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in the Lakers’ eight point win. It was undoubtedly the high point for Christie after a slow start to the season and LeBron believes it is a product of the work he is putting in.
“Just the work. He’s putting in the work, and it’s paying off for him,” James said after the game. “The coaches believe in him, and we believe in him. He was spectacular tonight on both ends of the floor.”
Christie has taken on the role as the Lakers’ primary perimeter defender, but his insertion into the starting lineup has also led to his offensive game blossoming as well. Christie’s early-season struggles have been discussed plenty and LeBron believes that being allowed to make those mistakes early on, has helped him grow.
“It helps when the coaches believe in you and give you an opportunity to make mistakes when you’re a young kid,” James noted. You go out there and you live with your mistakes, but you also get better from it. Obviously earlier we had a couple, I think it was OKC I believe when he fouled in that one game and he learned from it. Coaches didn’t give up on him and say ‘OK, you made a mistake, sit down.’
“Early on he was in the rotation and then got out of the rotation then we inserted him back into the starting lineup and he just took off from there and just taking full advantage of it. So he’s ready for this opportunity and we’re happy for him.”
It would’ve been easy for Christie to lose his confidence, but as LeBron stated, his coaches and teammates on the Lakers all believed in him and continued to push him. Christie has always had the physical tools since he was drafted and now James sees him putting the mental side of the game together as well as he grows into this larger role on the team.
“Of course. I think his ability to put the work in,” LeBron said when asked what he saw from Christie early in his career. “When we were practicing, he always kind of looked the part, but it just takes time. Sometimes it isn’t always instant oatmeal, it takes time for younger guys to get a feel, understand the game and the nuances of the game. The game between the game, not just actually just running and jumping.
“There’s so many more intricate parts to the game. I think JJ and the coaching staff have given him a lot of his plate and I think he’s ready for it and just taking full advantage of it. 28 points tonight was a career-high for him, but defensively he’s been amazing, the activity has been amazing and we need it from him all year.”
It has been a process for Christie, but that time and effort put into his development is paying off now as he has become a crucial piece of the Lakers success on both ends of the court.
Lakers’ Max Christie discusses career-high scoring night
Max Christie also discussed his career night for the Lakers against the Trail Blazers and spoke about what he did that led to those 28 points.
“I think I was making shots,” Christie said after the win. “I made five threes tonight. I thought I did a good job of cutting to the basket. They were very physical. Very swarming team when they put the guys on the ball. So I was able to cut behind the defense, get a few dunks, and then be on the backside and be able to knock down a couple threes.”
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