JJ Redick recently made the decision to insert third-year guard Max Christie into the Los Angeles Lakers’ starting lineup in the role of defensive stopper, and the results have been solid so far. Despite facing off with the likes of Ja Morant, De’Aaron Fox and Cade Cunningham, Christie has held his own and made things difficult on these All-Star talents.
This is Christie’s first real opportunity with a significant starting role at this level and the increase in minutes and responsibility can be difficult for some to adjust to. But Christie has built himself a routine to take care of his body and that is serving him well, especially with a Christmas Day matchup against Stephen Curry on the horizon.
“I’ve built a routine since I’ve been in the league for the last two-and-a-half years,” Christie said following the Lakers’ loss to the Detroit Pistons. “It’s changed a little bit, but for the most part, it’s a lot of just recovery and taking care of my body, that’s the biggest thing. Like you said, I had a big assignment tonight on Cade, he’s a bigger guard, I exerted a lot of energy. And then on Christmas I got Steph Curry. So it’s a great challenge I’m willing to take and for me, I just have to prepare at an elite level and I think I usually do that at a consistent basis for all of these games.
“So for me, just staying consistent with my routine of taking care of my body, hydrating a lot, eating properly and getting enough sleep, doing all the little things because those will stack up and I think those will benefit me hopefully on Christmas when I guard a top 10 player of all-time. So I’m excited for the opportunity, you don’t get that a lot. So looking forward to that.”
Sometimes young players can lose sight of how important it is to take care of your body off the court, but Christie has already locked that part down and it is allowing for him to thrive in his new role for the Lakers. His 17 points against the Pistons were a season-high, but he is still more focused on how he does defensively.
“I feel really good. Tonight was a good offensive game for me so that feels great, but I wouldn’t say I measure my success on that end,” Christie added. “It’s more so on the defensive end and I think tonight I did a solid job. My primary matchup was Cade Cunningham, he’s an elite player, All-Star level player. He still ended up with 20, 10 and 5, but I thought I did a good job just trying to make it tough for him. He’s a great player, he’s gonna make tough shots. But overall I think I’m in a pretty good spot right now.”
Coming into the season there was a lot of optimism about Christie becoming an important piece of this Lakers rotation. After a rough start to the year, he finally looks like he is coming into his own and becoming that ideal 3-and-D wing the team needs.
Max Christie wants to continue growing after becoming a starter for Lakers
Max Christie has grown from never seeing the court as a rookie, to a full-fledged starter in his third season with the Lakers. But the wing isn’t satisfied and wants to continue his growth.
“It feels good and it’s pretty cool just to see the progression and the growth in terms of just me over the last three years, to be honest,” Christie said. “I think I’ve slowly gotten a little bit better, being put in more intense situations, more important situations and I think these are good experiences for me guarding a dynamic player like Ja at the end of the game. I think it’s cool for me just to kind of reflect on the growth that I’ve had. I want to keep that going.”
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