For the Los Angeles Lakers, the 2024 offseason will be defined by taking chances on unproven individuals. Los Angeles finally prioritized the NBA Draft by selecting Dalton Knecht and Bronny James, hired a first-year head coach in JJ Redick, and re-signed Max Christie to a four-year deal.
Each of those decisions represented an effort to embrace change and prioritize a long-term effort to build a sustainable product on the court.
While James and Knecht have the luxury of patience as they enter their rookie seasons, Christie will be expected to step up as soon as 2024-25. He inked a four-year, $32 million contract earlier this summer and will thus be tasked with providing impact minutes as a key contributor to the rotation.
In an interview with Spectrum SportsNet, Christie explained what it is that he believes will help him take a step forward during the 2024-25 season.
Max Christie discusses his decision to re-sign with the Lakers on a 4-year, $32 million deal, sharing his excitement for the future with the team. pic.twitter.com/LdPkWi7WGK
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) September 18, 2024
For those who can't watch the video in the above post, Christie said the following:
"How important the mental game is for me. How confident I feel right now and that's really a big byproduct of what I've worked on this summer. It's been a big part of my mental game. I feel like I have the skills, like you said. Offensively, I shoot the ball pretty well and defensively I'm athletic enough and I have good instincts to guard people. So for me I think it's just having the confidence to be able to put that into action this year when I am out there on the floor."
It's a promising sign that Christie has taken an introspective approach to ensuring that his career is more fruitful moving forward.
Max Christie is prepared to provide two-way value in 2024-25
Christie, who's still just 21 years of age, was selected at No. 35 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft. Unfortunately, he struggled to secure consistent playing time under previous head coach Darvin Ham, averaging 13.5 minutes per game across 108 appearances.
One of the primary reasons the Lakers remained intrigued by him was how well he shot despite his erratic appearances,
Christie has knocked down 37.8 percent of his 180 career attempts from beyond the arc. He's also converted 80.6 percent of his free throws, which bodes well for his continued efficiency as his volume increases.
Projected to play as the backup shooting guard in 2024-25, Christie will likely be tasked with providing off-ball value as a shooter in a system that seeks to emphasize the three-point shot.
On defense, Christie looks the part of a potential high-level defender. He stands at 6'5" and 190 pounds with a near 6'9" wingspan, and has shown a level of commitment on that end of the floor that Los Angeles hopes to see translate to a larger distribution of minutes.
If Christie continues to improve on defense, then his 3-and-D value could earn him minutes alongside the starters.
Finding the confidence to work through his rough patches will be essential, as Christie himself noted. If he's able to do so, then the Lakers could utilize a big lineup centered around Austin Reaves, Christie, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis when the situation calls for it.
Even if that grand expectation fails to materialize, Christie providing two-way value should strengthen the second unit and give Los Angeles a strong opportunity to improve upon the 2023-24 season.