Normally, when a rookie in the NBA gets sent down to the G League, it’s easy for him, his teammates, fans or pundits to see it as a demotion or a sign that perhaps he simply isn’t panning out.
Sometimes it is an opportunity for that rookie to hone his skills and confidence, so he can set the world on fire when he returns to the big leagues.
The latter has certainly been true of Los Angeles Lakers rookie Max Christie.
When he was taken in the second round of last year’s draft, most believed he would be a project player, especially when he struggled mightily with his shooting during summer league play.
In 40 games with the Lakers this season, however, he has looked impressive considering the circumstances. He has not only shown the hustle and intensity defensively and on the boards that were expected, but he also shot an outstanding 41.9 % from 3-point range.
Although Christie was assigned a considerable amount of time to the G League this season, he sees it as valuable experience he gained, not an indictment of his play.
Via Los Angeles Times:
“It was super valuable for sure,” he said. “Being in situations down there that I might not be in up here, in terms of game-winning situations where sometimes I converted and sometimes I didn’t. But having those experiences where I had the ball in my hands at the end of a game. Or just throughout the game in general, I could just develop on the things I’m watching as I’m on the bench with the Lakers, seeing the tricks everyone in here is using, the ones teams are using against us, coverages, and then applying that to the G League.
“It was definitely important to me.”
In 17 games with the South Bay Lakers, Christie averaged 14.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game while shooting 36.4% from downtown. He has certainly gained much more playing time than he would’ve had he remained with the big league Lakers all season.
With a new CBA rule that strips teams of certain resources if they go too far above the luxury tax threshold, the big league Lakers may need Christie to play more minutes next season if they have to jettison one or two rotation players as a result of the new rule.
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