The Los Angeles Lakers roster construction this season was an inherent leap of faith in second-year guard Max Christie, the second-round pick from the 2022 NBA Draft that was not a featured rotation player last season. The Lakers felt he took the necessary steps towards being in the rotation, and could be a major player for L.A. this season, especially after impressing players like Anthony Davis.
Saturday night’s preseason-opening loss to the Golden State Warriors was a big outing for Christie. He played a team-high 25 minutes, scoring tied for a team-high 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting and 2-for-4 beyond the arc. It was the type of performance that, even in a loss, shows he can hang at the highest level.
Davis had plenty of positive things to say about Christie’s growth and the mentality he plays with each and every time he steps onto the court, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Tremendously. His ability to score, toughness, he defends. He does it all. Ultimate confidence. There’s a lot of things you can say about Max, but he’s putting it together. He knows where to pick his spots on the floor, when he’s going to score and when to make the right plays. Just being aggressive, we’re going to need that from him at some point during the course of the season. Just keeping a mindset of attacking and being himself, don’t get discouraged whether you play or not. But he’s definitely been playing well through the course of camp and he had a good game tonight.”
A vote of confidence from Davis could go a long way both within the organization and with Christie himself. It’s undoubtedly difficult for a second-year player to find his footing on a team that includes two all-time greats and several strong veteran talents.
But the team-wide support for Christie should help him find his place quickly and be successful in whatever role he winds up playing throughout the 2023-24 season.
Christie feeling more comfortable and confident
Christie spoke about how he’s feeling internally as he heads into a vital second season in the NBA. And the very early results match what he says about increased comfort and confidence.
“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.”
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