Los Angeles Lakers guard Max Christie missed the team’s final three games before the All-Star break with an ankle injury, then got the full week off thanks to the festivities in Indianapolis.
He returned to the floor against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, acting as L.A.’s sixth man amid several injuries to rotation players. He played 29 minutes and finished with nine points and six assists and was a minus-five on the night.
Christie has cemented himself as a legitimate rotation option for head coach Darvin Ham with his high IQ and better than advertised defensive chops. But for a second year player who only recently established himself in that position, losing a few games to an injury can be a huge deal. So it was important for Christie that he get back on his feet and in the rotation quickly.
After his return, Christie spoke about how his ankle is feeling and what it was like to be back on the court after missing time and the All-Star break, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“I felt good, actually. Even after the game, it doesn’t hurt at all. Toughed it out a little bit in the beginning and had a little bit of pain but for the most part, it was good. I was able to play through the game and looking forward to continuing to get back in the flow.”
Christie then looked ahead to Friday’s opponent — the San Antonio Spurs — and explained why it’s important the Lakers come out with a better energy than they did against the Golden State Warriors in his return on Thursday:
“It feels like we’ve had a bunch of back-to-backs this year, so this is nothing new for us. We got a good team in the Spurs, their record might not show it, but they got a lot of good players on that team, obviously one of the greatest coaches of all time, so this is no game for us to relax. We got to come in with a lot of effort and urgency, come together as a team and never get too high or too low, especially with this loss we just had against a good Warriors team. We just got to focus and get back home and get ready to play.”
The Lakers guard spoke about how he can help the Lakers once he fully gets back into the rhythm of game speed:
“Yeah, absolutely. For me, it’s just doing whatever the team needs, right? Tonight was a good step in the right direction for me personally just getting back in the flow of the game after I missed three or four games. So the first step was just getting back out there and playing. Now step two is getting into the flow. I thought I had a pretty decent game for my first game back, maybe a little indecisive, but for the most part, I thought I played pretty well. So for me, taking those next steps now getting into the flow of the game and helping the team and contributing to wins.”
With all the injuries currently being faced by the Lakers, getting Christie back and in rhythm is a huge deal. He hadn’t played a game in two weeks prior to Thursday, meaning it might take a few games to get back up to speed. But when he does, he figures to have a huge impact on L.A.’s rotation.
D’Angelo Russell not concerned about Lakers not being sharp
LeBron James’ absence certainly had an effect on the Lakers in an 18-point loss to the Warriors, but D’Angelo Russell also believes it was simply the result of coming out of the All-Star break in a dull and sluggish manner.
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