The Los Angeles Lakers roster is looking stacked heading into the 2023-24 season as they’ve got several players who are worthy of minutes.
One player looking to crack the rotation is Max Christie, who looked like he took a leap during Summer League. Christie has made it known his desire is to contribute more this season and spent the offseason working on several different things to earn minutes.
The second-year guard has got some real talent and could push for a role earlier than expected. The starting backcourt will be D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves with Gabe Vincent acting as the backup point guard, so there’s room for Christie.
However, as much as Christie would love to be part of the rotation, he said that he is going to doing what is asked of him.
“Yeah, that’s the goal. At the end of the day, of course that’s the goal,” Christie said of being a rotation player. “But I’m not gonna live and die by that goal. If I don’t get in the rotation to start, that’s OK. If I do get in, that’s great. As long as I show them effort every single day, that’s all that matters for me.”
Making Darvin Ham’s rotation is a worthy goal, but Christie also outlined what else he is focused on this year. “For me, it’s just to show up every day and control what I can control, really. That’s all I can do, just show up every day, give the best effort that I can give, and I can live with whatever result that is.”
As for how he’s feeling going into his sophomore season, Christie believes he’s in a good place right now.
“Yeah, I definitely feel more comfortable, for sure. I can tell just by the way I carry myself, by the way I think about things. I think I see things a lot easier compared to last year, and that’s what a year experience will do for you. And I think that just shows with my aggressiveness on the floor when we’re playing, both offensively and defensively. So I definitely feel more comfortable and confident going into this year.”
The 20-year-old has the right mindset and work ethic to make it in the NBA and hopefully he gets his shot to prove that he’s worthy of playing more.
Max Christie confident in defensive capabilities
Christie’s calling card so far in his young NBA career has been his defensive ability and versatility and he’s confident that he can contribute on that end this year.
“Defense is important for every team, and especially on this team. Coach’s biggest philosophy is on the defensive end of the floor for sure and I think I can kind of put myself in that position where I can excel in that area, for sure. That’s one of his staples for this team is we got to be the best in the league because we’re so effective offensively that if we’re on point defensively, we’re gonna win a lot of games. So I think I can be a part of that for sure.”
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