3 Lakers that failed to meet expectations this season
These three players failed to meet the expectations set for them this season.
By Will Eudy
It has been an adversity-filled season for the Los Angeles Lakers. Coming into the season fresh off a wild ride to the Western Conference Finals in 2023, the expectations for this group were that they would be back at the top of the Western Conference standings and be one of the favorites to make it to the NBA Finals come playoff time.
Instead, injuries and other inconsistencies have largely crushed their championship hopes. LA has been playing very well as of late, winning eight of their last nine games. But with how competitive the West is, they still remain in ninth place, exactly where they stood before their recent hot streak.
The Lakers will almost assuredly be in the Play-In and be fighting just to earn a spot in the playoffs. Unfortunately, the team's disappointing year has also been marked by some disappointing individual campaigns. These are three Lakers players that fell short of their expectations this season.
Max Christie
The second-year guard has shown some promise, but his opportunity has still been limited overall. After playing 12.5 minutes per night in his rookie season last year, Max Christie has gotten on the court for just 14.8 minutes a game this year.
It is hard to generate consistency when you are not getting routine time on the floor, but part of that is because Head Coach Darvin Ham and the rest of his staff did not see Christie contributing at a significant enough level for him to be a big-minutes type of guy at this stage of his career.
We can argue all day about whether those criticisms are unfounded or not, but the reality is that this team has a championship window that seems to still be open. Giving away too many minutes to a younger player who still has a lot to learn could have been a detriment to what the team as a whole is trying to achieve.