Season Review: Max Christie

Max Christie’s season was more about the minutes he didn’t play than the performances he gave on the floor as a Laker.

Welcome to our Lakers Season Review Series! For the next several weeks, we'll be writing columns every weekday, breaking down the biggest questions we have about every player on the Lakers roster. Today, we take a look at Max Christie.

Max Christie's 2024 season began in the summer of 2023. In his first full offseason, he was able to hone in on his skills and improve as an NBA player. In the Las Vegas Summer League, he demonstrated that he was above that level of competition and ready for only true NBA players, which is exactly the kind of growth you want to see from your two-year guys.

In his three Summer League games, Christie averaged 19 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. He looked cool, calm and collected when handling the ball. He was also better in pick-and-roll actions and defensively too strong to get bullied on the wing.

This performance, along with his charisma whenever he opened his mouth, left Lakers fans pleased and optimistic that Christie would have a sophomore jump. Similar to what Austin Reaves and Alex Caruso were able to do when they were in the same position.

How was their season?

If the most popular player in football is the backup quarterback, the most popular player in basketball is a young guy who is not getting enough minutes. For the Lakers in 2023-24, that guy was Christie.

He showed flashes of brilliance, like his performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers in November when he had 12 points, five rebounds and three assists. He also had a nice two-handed slam. Christie's dunks became a semi-common occurrence when he had enough playing time and a decent runway to pull one off.

As the season progressed, Christie's time on the floor continuously decreased. In December, he averaged 16.9 minutes per game; by April, he was down to 5.8. It was a constant drop month after month and the only time he played significant minutes during the second half of the season was when other key rotation players were out due to injuries.

It was clear that head coach Darvin Ham valued other players more and there was virtually nothing Christie could do to overcome those veterans and crack the rotation.

Christie wasn't perfect in his minutes, either. As the season continued, he started to press more and more with the few minutes he got. You could see him getting crestfallen when missing an open 3-pointer. He would try too hard to get a highlight dunk several times, which resulted in blocks or misses at the rim. His mistakes were also very loud: bad passes, poor turnovers, or getting posterized by bigger, faster wings.

Ham probably should have played him more during the beginning of the season, but as the importance of games increased, the Lakers didn't have time or patience for any silly mistakes made by a young player on the floor.

The Lakers' season ended after Game 5 against the Denver Nuggets on Apr. 29. Christie's season ended on Apr. 14 when he played just two minutes in the final regular season game; he didn't see a second on the floor during the postseason—something he mentioned during his exit interview.

It was odd that the Lakers hosted exit interviews the night of an elimination game defeat on the road. But what was even worse was that Christie's presser didn't even last a minute, demonstrating a microcosm of his season.

Should the Lakers Bring Him Back?

Christie should absolutely return as a Laker and his third season should include him getting solid rotation minutes. With Ham out as head coach, whoever takes over the job has to invest and develop him. Christie has the size and has shown flashes that he has the tools. If he isn't that player, let him show you in NBA action. Let's all see him crash and burn or experience his rise on the court.

The Lakers have been excellent in recent years in developing the younger players and they need to make sure they know who Christie is before potentially moving on from him. I don't think they got to see that, given his role getting reduced as the season went on.

Christie will be a restricted free agent, so the Lakers will have to match any offers to keep him. They should do so, barring some move or deal that forces them to let him walk.

Will he return?

Overall, Christie is a calm, quiet player, so he'd never fully show frustration or his mentality about a summer where he might end up on a different team. Maybe it's my optimism, but I think he'll return. Christie understands that being a Laker and finding success in Los Angeles will be great for his career. If he can make it here, he'll either be rewarded with more minutes and more money, or he can follow the Malik Monk route and get a bag later by shining in the City of Angels.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.