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Max Christie Showing Why Lakers Are Right to Wait on Deals amid NBA Trade Rumors – Bleacher Report
NBA trade chatter is slowly but surely picking up, and the Los Angeles Lakers are—as per usual—generating plenty of buzz.
More buzz than they likely feel is warranted, based on the latest whispers out of Hollywood.
While L.A. looms as a potential suitor for some of the bigger names on the market, the Lakers don’t believe they need to make an impact addition. Not yet, anyway.
Rather than pursuing an external upgrade, “the Lakers, at present, are focused on internal improvement,” per Marc Stein. While a cynic might perceive this report as posturing, there are reasons to believe the Lakers can solve some of their biggest puzzles in-house.
Take the recent play of Max Christie, for instance.
The second-year shooting guard entered the season with legitimate expectations after scorching his way through summer league, but he couldn’t find a rotation spot early on. It wasn’t until injuries paved him a path to the hardwood that he started dropping hints about becoming the helpful rotation player so many envisioned.
He has started each of his last two times out—in place of the injured Cam Reddish—and played a key role in powering the Purple and Gold to their latest triumph. During Saturday’s six-point road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Christie tallied 12 points, five rebounds and three assists over his 33 minutes and earned praise for his defensive effort on Donovan Mitchell, who misfired on 14 of his 18 field-goal attempts and shot just 1-of-7 against Christie, per NBA.com.
Max Christie was amazing tonight. Fit right in on offense and played lockdown defense. Made it hard on Donovan Mitchell.<br><br>Between Christie, Cam Reddish, and Jarred Vanderbilt the Lakers have some great options for wing defense. <a href="https://t.co/MV0QItPBhR">pic.twitter.com/MV0QItPBhR</a>
“That’s a huge, huge challenge for a young player like Max but one that’s much needed,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham told reporters. “He was awesome tonight. We gave him a shoutout after the game. Everyone here is pulling for him. We know how special he can be.”
Christie is capable of doing more than the Lakers have asked of him so far.
He seems particularly well-equipped to take on a support role around L.A.’s stars. He is a willing and able defender who has splashed 37.2 percent of his career three-point looks. He has the outline of a three-and-D wing, which is about as valuable as any role-player archetype in the modern game.
And he’s far from the only source of hope for internal improvement.
A clean bill of health alone would work wonders for this club. It’s still awaiting the 2023-24 debut of Jarred Vanderbilt, who might be the team’s top defender. It got just four games out of Gabe Vincent before a knee injury knocked him off the floor. His blend of dogged defense and confident shot-making still looks like a snug fit for this roster.
Beyond shedding the injury bug, the Lakers can also bank on getting better showings from some of their healthy players.
Taurean Prince, a career 36.9 percent three-point shooter, won’t keep converting just 27.7 percent of his long-range looks. Christian Wood can be a much more reliable source of offense. His 7.1 points per game aren’t even half of the 16.6 he gave the Dallas Mavericks last season.
Austin Reaves has started to come on of late—15-plus points in four consecutive contests—but he has a higher gear than he’s shown. He looked like a certified star down the stretch of last season, averaging 17.6 points on 57.8/44.3/85.6 shooting after the All-Star break.
And don’t forget, the Lakers still haven’t even seen Jalen Hood-Schifino yet. This year’s No. 17 pick was slowed by a knee injury, but he still has a chance to crack the rotation at some point.
So, yes, it absolutely makes sense for the Lakers to fully assess what they have on hand before deciding what—if anything—they need to go find on the trade market. Even if they eventually learn they need an external boost, they’ll have more than enough time to get something done.
