The Los Angeles Lakers and third-year guard Max Christie agreed to terms on a four-year, $32 million contract in the offseason that kept him from entering restricted free agency. Under new head coach JJ Redick, Christie is almost guaranteed to have a bigger role than he did last season under Darvin Ham.
Christie is an incredible fit next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, as he is a prototypical 3-and-D guard. It’s unclear exactly what his role will be — if he’ll be one of the first players off the bench or if he’ll get more spot minutes in relief of Austin Reaves — but he should be able to take a significant leap in Year 3.
The Lakers guard spoke about why he chose to re-sign with the Lakers before hitting free agency and what he’s already seeing from the team that he likes, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Man, I wanted to come back. I know we’re building something great here. We’ve got to big dogs in LeBron and AD. We’ve got a fiery new coaching staff that I really like so far, I’ve been getting along with them really well. It was great to get that done right before free agency started, I’m happy to be back. I’ve been working here for a while now and I’m happy to get the new season rolling.”
Even though Christie did not get a major opportunity to play last season, he still was able to learn plenty from his second campaign. One of the biggest lessons, though, was the way confidence and mental game affected his performance:
“I think for me just mentally, how important the mental game is for me. How confident I feel right now, and that’s really a big byproduct of what I’ve worked on this summer. It’s been a big part of my mental game. I feel like I have the skills, like you said offensively I shoot the ball pretty well, and defensively I’m athletic enough and I have good instincts to guard people. So, for me I think it’s just having the confidence to be able to put that into action this year when I am out there on the floor, so I’m excited for that.”
If the Lakers get the leap they are expecting from Christie in Year 3 with a bigger role, it would essentially be like a quality free agent pick up, something they struggled with this offseason. His development is a massive piece of the puzzle for L.A. in 2024-25.
Austin Reaves predicts Max Christie will have breakout season
In an interview with Lakers Nation last year, Austin Reaves predicted that D’Angelo Russell would have a strong 2023-24 campaign, And this year, he told us it’ll be Christie’s turn to breakout.
“I’m gonna assume Max is back and I’m gonna say Max,” Reaves told us earlier this summer. “Assuming everything, I don’t know the plans or anything so once again don’t quote me, but I think if Max is back he’s gonna have an opportunity with JJ as well that I think JJ can unlock Max.
“He’s super athletic, can guard the ball but also is a really good cutter. And that’s something that we also talked about the other day being able to cut off ball with Bron and AD having it in their hands cause everybody’s paying attention to them. So I think Max will have one of those years where the numbers might not be crazy, but if you look at all the advanced analytics his effectiveness to winning is gonna be special.”
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