As the Los Angeles Lakers prepare for possibly another appearance in the Play-In Tournament, every game is crucial and second-year guard Max Christie is picking up some valuable experience as he develops.
In limited time this season, Christie is continuing to show flashes of his 3-and-D potential, creating the possibility of becoming a valuable role player. A couple of catalysts for that is spending some time in the G League and Summer League, which resulted in more confidence when it came to playing in the regular season.
After being drafted in 2022, Christie came into a situation with two future Hall of Famers in LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He can learn from some of the greatest to play in the NBA, but he also recently mentioned taking inspiration from D’Angelo Russell’s mental approach to every game.
“The thing I look for and watch most with DLo is not really on the court,” Christie said. “We all know he can really play basketball, but it’s the way he approaches the game and then I think mentally too. It seems like when he’s out there, he’s really just care free, doesn’t really care about outcomes and really isn’t worried about what other people think of him. So I think that’s something that I can draw and I do draw inspiration from, for sure. Even off the court, watching the way he carries himself and he speaks his mind. I think a lot of people just in life in general are sort of afraid to say what they want to say because of what people will say about them, but that’s certainly isn’t something that he’s a part of. So that’s something I draw inspiration from.”
This is great for the 21-year-old to pick up on as the spotlight is always on the Lakers. The media and attention is always on L.A., so being able to play without being affected by the outside noise is crucial.
Russell experienced a tremendous amount of pressure due to the trade deadline and some down play in December but made it out on the other side as is currently playing the best basketball of his career. Christie is an active learner, always looking to improve in all aspects of the game and picking up on these nuisances from Russell will only help him as his career progresses.
Max Christie: Lakers must embrace sense of urgency from last season
The Lakers find themselves in a similar situation as last year by being in an uphill climb to make the postseason. Christie expressed that having a similar sense of urgency from last season is necessary in order to get over the hump.
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