The Los Angeles Lakers were one of the best teams in the second half of the NBA season last year. Even with a gassed LeBron James, they held their own and made the playoffs.
This team looks slightly better than last season’s. They made some minor tweaks, kept most of their core together, and look to get back to the postseason in the following campaign.
For that, they might as well rely upon one of their youngsters, as they reportedly believe that Max Christie is ready to take a leap forward and crack Darvin Ham’s rotation.
Lakers Are High On Max Christie
“His ascension is an X-factor in the rotation,” reported Jovan Buha of The Athletic. “If he can continue to develop as a shot creator and playmaker, he has a chance to carve out a significant role given his 3-point shooting and defensive ability. The Lakers are confident he can grow into being the team’s eighth or ninth man next season.”
“Christie’s spot in the rotation likely comes down to him versus Cam Reddish,” the report added. “Based on their current strengths and skill sets, Christie makes more sense. The Lakers are higher on him. He’s the better shooter and defender, with more upside.”
The Lakers’ player development staff has done an outstanding job as of late, and he did look ready to embrace a bigger role during Summer League, so let’s see if he can live up to the hype next season.