The Los Angeles Lakers’ roster looks an awful lot like the roster the Lakers had to finish this past season. That means they still have the same deficiencies, including but not limited to a lack of athleticism, 3-point shooting, perimeter defense, big man depth and defensive rebounding.
It also means they will need a good deal of internal improvement to become anything close to a championship contender this coming season.
There is some hope that simply having better health and getting improvement from young players, as well as better coaching, will give the Lakers significantly better results during the 2024-25 season. That would mean wing Max Christie will have to make a sizable jump.
As Jovan Buha pointed out, the franchise does believe in Christie’s potential.
Via The Athletic:
“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,” wrote Buha. “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.
“… 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.”
The 21-year-old, who will be entering his third pro season, was taken by the Lakers as a second-round pick in 2022. He has been projected to become a 3-and-D player, but then-head coach Darvin Ham didn’t play him a ton this past season, which partly led to Ham being fired.
Christie confirmed that he worked with new Los Angeles head coach JJ Redick this month when both were in Las Vegas during NBA summer league play.
“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,” wrote Buha. “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.
“… 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.
“… 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.”
Even the best version of Christie may not do a ton to help the Lakers make that jump to the NBA’s elite. But it would certainly provide the type of support that has been lacking to a certain extent ever since they won the world championship in 2020.