Lakers have big plans for Max Christie, and he’s ready to fulfill them

In the hours after the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2023-24 season ended at the hands of another dagger from Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, player after player shuffled through the postgame podium for media exit interviews. With Darvin Ham’s future in jeopardy, the Lakers wanted to put the drama and disappointing end to the season behind them as quickly as possible.

When it was Max Christie’s turn, the 21-year-old wing was asked about what he observed from the bench after not playing a single minute in any of the five playoff games.

“Well, I really wanted to be out there,” Christie said. “Tonight sucks seeing us get eliminated because I really felt I could help this team.”

Forty-five seconds passed before Christie finished his full answer. Despite multiple hands going up to ask Christie follow-up questions, that was it. Just as swiftly as he sat down, he was shuffled off to make way for LeBron James, who was waiting off to the side.

Stars supplant their teammates in news conferences all the time, but the symbolism of this moment was ironic: Christie could barely get playing time on or off the court. His news conference, however brief, lasted longer than his court time in the postseason.

The inability to develop a young talent like Christie was one of the many internal grievances with Ham, who would be fired a few days after the season. Several Lakers stakeholders believed Christie’s shooting, rebounding and point-of-attack defense were traits the Lakers could have used against Denver.

The Lakers confirmed their belief in Christie’s potential by making him their first signing hours before free agency began on June 30, agreeing to a four-year, $32 million contract with a player option in the fourth season. The deal prevented Christie, an impending restricted free agent, from reaching the open market. He is now the eighth-highest-paid player on the team.

Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka and new head coach JJ Redick sold Christie on their development plan for him next season and beyond. By signing Christie, who won’t turn 22 until February, to a contract based more on his future than his past, the Lakers hoped to show a good-faith commitment to his growth and simultaneously avoid a rival suitor swooping in and offering him more money.

“It was cool,” Christie told The Athletic in a video interview this week. “The back-and-forth negotiations, it was pretty mutual between me and Coach Redick and Rob. So we were all trying to get on the same page really, ’cause I wanted to be a Laker. … I think we have a really good team, and so I wanted to be a part of that.”

Christie’s career averages — 3.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists on 42.4 percent from the field, 37.8 percent from 3 and 80.6 percent from the free-throw line across 108 games — are unremarkable. But the Lakers invested in him with his upside in mind. And if he actualizes that potential, he could become a valuable part of a rotation lacking in two-way talent and athleticism.

Christie is nearly two full years younger than Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht. Christie is a career 40-plus-percent 3-point catch-and-shooter; the Lakers want him taking even more 3s next season. He’s also statistically the team’s best rebounder under 6-foot-8, which is notable considering the Lakers struggled with opposing guards flying in for offensive rebounds last season. And while Christie rarely played in consistent enough stretches to judge his ability as a primary defender, he fared well in notable shifts against the likes of Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker, De’Aaron Fox and Klay Thompson, among others.

Internal improvement will be crucial next season for the Lakers, who, surprisingly, have not signed any new free agents or made any trades this offseason. They replaced Taurean Prince and Spencer Dinwiddie with rookies Knecht and Bronny James, and they’ve so far held onto the two first-round picks (2029 and 2031) Pelinka said they’d put on the table to trade this summer. The roster could still use a better starting wing next to Anthony Davis and LeBron James, as well as a defensive-minded backup center.

As things stand, the Lakers are preaching patience that the right trade will eventually materialize while betting that healthier versions of Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent, the addition of Knecht and the promotion of Christie into the rotation will shore up the group’s perimeter defense, athleticism and shooting.

With another season of James, Davis, Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Vanderbilt and Christie, the Lakers’ core will have been together for parts of three seasons once 2024-25 begins. The continuity that eluded the Lakers last season — in part because of injuries and rotational decisions — appears to finally be on track for next season.

Christie is similarly optimistic and claims the Lakers are being overlooked in the Western Conference discourse. He referenced the deep playoff runs last postseason by Boston and Minnesota as evidence of the value of continuity.

“If you kind of look at the blueprint with teams that have been winning recently, for the most part, a lot of the teams stick together for a while, right?” Christie said. “I like the idea of us kind of running it back with the group that we have. I think, on paper, especially, we’re a really, really good team. …

“We made the playoffs both years. We ran into a really good Denver team that gave us trouble both years. … We were right there. We’re so close. We might as well just keep trying to build together.”

Christie is a vital part of that building process as one of the few players on the roster with untapped potential.

While in Las Vegas for two weeks watching younger brother Cam play in summer league after being drafted by the crosstown LA Clippers, Christie spent time with Redick at the team’s summer league practices. The two spoke extensively about his role next season, including how the Lakers plan to use him as a cutter and a shooting weapon coming off pindowns. Redick directed drills and walked Christie through various actions in multiple workouts.

“I think both of us are really on the same schedule, if you will, in terms of how I want to be used and how he wants to use me within the offense, within the rotation,” Christie said. “… I’m going to be a good part of the offense and defense and the rotation just in general, so I’m looking forward to that.”

To prepare for his increased role, Christie has been working on making reads off closeouts at various parts of the floor. He’s familiar with that task considering spot-up play has been his primary offensive responsibility as a Laker, but he’s aiming to perform the role at a much higher level next season.

“The point you want to get to is, you put so many repetitions in that your body’s just out there flowing,” Christie said. “For me, and I think this happened my first two years too, I noticed on film every time I’m thinking, even if I look like I’m thinking, that’s when you get slow, clunky mistakes. But for me, whenever I’m free-flowing and the ball comes and I make my read natural … that’s when I’m at my best.”

On defense, the 6-foot-6 Christie will be asked to check opponents’ primary backcourt or wing scorer, depending on the lineup configuration. This end of the floor has come more naturally to him through his first two seasons. Christie’s 6-9 wingspan, quick feet and hip mobility allow him to track primary ballhandlers around screens and recover against wing scorers.

Christie has worked with the Lakers’ coaching and player development staff to become a more disruptive defender. He wants to make ballhandlers more uncomfortable, leading to them wasting the shot clock, picking up their dribble and/or moving the ball elsewhere. At the end of each workout, Christie goes through a set of defensive drills designed to test his stamina and mental fortitude when his legs are gone and his breath is short.

“When you’re guarding the best player, all the actions are being run for him,” Christie said. “You’re running through screens, so that’s tiring. It’s hard. And then, especially if you’re chasing shooters … it’s fatiguing. … I want to keep growing my game, obviously defensively, looking ahead to next season.”

The Lakers, based on their investment in Christie and their inactivity with the rest of the roster, are wagering that he can make that leap.

Required Reading

(Photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)