How Lakers’ Max Christie can right the ship after a polarizing first week

The primary week of the 2024-25 NBA common season was the most effective in current reminiscence for the Los Angeles Lakers. Matched up in opposition to three groups that received at the least 46 video games in 2023-24, the Lakers went 3-0 below first-year head coach JJ Redick.

The staff’s success issues greater than every other speaking level, however there’s one participant who hasn’t fairly lived as much as the staff’s lofty expectations by 4 video games: Max Christie.

Throughout a summer season of normal inactivity, Christie re-signed with the Lakers on a four-year, $32 million contract. The deal was given to him with the expectation that he would turn into the 3-and-D wing that many throughout the group consider he could be.

It was a profound leap of religion by the Lakers after earlier head coach Darvin Ham opted to restrict Christie’s enjoying time in 2022-23 and 2023-24 regardless of the myriad of accidents the staff sustained.

Sadly, Christie averaged simply 13.7 minutes between the primary three video games of the 2024-25 season—down from his mark of 14.1 in 2023-24. The reason being straightforward to know, as he shot 25.0 % from the sector and 16.7 % from past the arc in the course of the NBA’s opening week.

Fortunately, one week won’t outline Christie’s season—and the areas through which he should enhance are fully manageable.

Christie taking pictures poorly has been disappointing to see, particularly because the Lakers have engaged in shootouts with the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings. He hasn’t been forcing the difficulty, nevertheless, which is the primary motive for optimism.

Christie is taking what the protection offers him on most possessions, and has been willingly working with out the ball to assist create optimum spacing.

It could take a while earlier than the photographs begin falling, however they’ll finally fall. He knocked down 37.8 % of his three-point discipline objectives throughout his first two seasons, with a greater than ample pattern measurement of 180 makes an attempt.

Having established himself as an environment friendly three-point shooter, Christie’s early woes can comfortably be attributed to the easy proven fact that the season has solely simply begun.

With an early hunch verified as uncharacteristically poor, the main focus then shifts to an space of power: Protection. Christie hasn’t been good, nor has any Laker aside from a attainable exception to be made for Anthony Davis, however his effort has been commendable.

Whether or not he is closing the space between himself and a ball-handler when preventing over a display or operating again in transition, Christie is sprinting at full pace from place to put.

That stage of depth is a vital ingredient of what makes Christie more likely to overcome his woeful kind and switch in a robust season. He is some of the promising 3-and-D gamers on the roster, and the issues in his sport are merely about making or lacking photographs—and never his normal strategy to the sport.

Persistence will likely be required, but when Lakers followers give Christie extra time than Ham, a high quality two-way participant ought to quickly emerge.