3 Lakers who are now playing for their NBA future
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers head into the last month-plus of the season looking to get hot and make a run in the NBA Playoffs. Currently situation in the Play-In Tournament, the Lakers are hoping to elevate into one of the top six seeds in the Western Conference to remove the chance of losing before the playoffs begin.
That is a lot to play for as the Lakers are lying in the bed that they made themselves. On an individual level, some players on the roster are playing for even more to close out the season. For a select few, the end of the 2023-24 season will also have a huge impact on the rest of their NBA careers.
If these players struggle down the stretch and don't give the Lakers (or other teams) something to like either in the regular season or the playoffs then they might not be on a roster next season.
Max Christie is playing for his NBA future
There were high expectations for Max Christie heading into the 2023-24 season. Christie put together a strong Summer League and preseason and it looked like he was going to be a staple of the bench rotation for LA.
Darvin Ham opted to play Cam Reddish instead and Christie has gotten very little consistent playing time this season. Christie has gotten his chances when there are injuries or blowouts, but he is definitely not a part of Ham's rotation.
As much promise as Christie had entering the year, it is going to be hard for him to find an NBA job next season if he does not prove anything this year. If the Lakers do not sign him, why would any other team pay money to bring in a second-round pick who hasn't proven anything in the NBA?
Maybe Christie is doing enough behind the scenes for the Lakers to re-sign him this offseason. If not, he may not find another team.