I feel like if Bron decides to retire we are already looking good for the future. Masterful job by the front office to recover from the LeGM debacle so quickly. What an amazing scout team. I'm wondering how we are going to keep all of these future HOFérs under contract already.
I like having Reaves to mix things up, but not as a full time PG. I don't think that is taking full advantage of his abilities for the betterment of the team.
Max's face is .... just .... so .... shockingly .... similar to Kobe's, especially if you were to put an early Kobe fro on him. Or shave his head. (though not sure of the shape of his dome )
I don't mind being wrong if it far exceeds my expectations. Kind of like Ham becoming a HOF coach. /Bet you didn't see that coming. But if it happens, you probably won't be sad.
Lakers View in browser Max Christie drives past Nuggets guard Jamal Murray during a game last season. (David Zalubowski / AP) Hey everyone, it’s Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, and welcome to the post-free-agency edition of the Lakers newsletter. I’m still hoping for my midlevel exception, but in the meantime I’m writing to you. The Lakers were quick — I called it a sprint on more than one occasion — when it came to free agency. In a blink, they’d re-signed Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves. And they went outside the roster to land Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Jaxson Hayes and Cam Reddish. People seem excited about the moves, and I get it. They added Prince and Vincent — both capable players in their primes — while taking a few swings on some high-upside prospects. Plus, they brought back the bulk of contributors from a team that made the Western Conference finals. I feel like we’ll have to see — that it’s easy to have an idea but harder to find the proof to back it up. And on that note, meanwhile in Sacramento … Max momentum There was something in the way rookie Max Christie carried himself during the Lakers’ run in last season’s playoffs, the way he studied the game and paid attention to the increased intensity. It was, no doubt, a learning experience. It also was, no doubt, a missed opportunity. For all the promise Christie, the Lakers’ second-round pick in 2022, showed in limited minutes last season, the obvious desire to be out on the court in the team’s biggest moments shows just why the organization and his teammates are so excited for year two. He wants to keep improving — but he wants to be on the court. “The goal is to play, like I said at my exit interview, as much basketball as I can in terms of winning on the floor,” Christie said last week after a summer league practice. ”So whatever that takes. Whether that’s defense, shooting, being a leader. Whatever it is, I’m willing to do it because I want to be on that floor and I want to contribute to winning.” Two games into his summer, the Lakers are winless, but none of that can be put on Christie, who has looked every bit the part of a second-year player ready to make a leap. Christie scored 17 points on six-of-11 shooting against the Miami Heat on Monday only to look more aggressive Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs when he had 25 points on seven-of-13 shooting from the field. He’s operated with confidence on and off the ball, and despite playing with first-round pick (and point guard) Jalen Hood-Schifino, it’s certainly looked a lot like “Christie’s team” — at least through the two games in the California Classic, sort of a prelude to the big event. That begins Friday in Las Vegas, when the Lakers will play their first of four scheduled games in the desert, with a fifth game guaranteed if they don’t make the four-team playoff. The last few seasons, summer league hasn’t been all that consequential for the Lakers — the roster devoid of young assets following the trade for Anthony Davis. This year, though, the team has six players of potential consequence — Christie, Hood-Schifino, 2023 second-round pick Maxwell Lewis and two-way players Cole Swider, Colin Castleton and D’Moi Hodge. This isn’t exactly the 2017 Lakers summer team that was stocked with pros like Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Ivica Zubac, Alex Caruso and Thomas Bryant. But, unlike the previous handful of summers, this is more than just a feeder team for the G League affiliate South Bay Lakers. Hood-Schifino’s shown a mastery of pace, a critical component to his game, that has allowed him to get to the rim despite not being the fastest player on the court. Lewis’ wiry frame and off-ball movement are the traits you’d look for in a wing. Swider’s shooting, Castleton’s play-making ability at center and Hodge’s two-way potential all flashed in the Lakers’ two losses in Sacramento. Yet the biggest takeaway had to be Christie, a player looking like he’s on the cusp of moving into coach Darvin Ham’s rotation to fill the void left by the departures of Lonnie Walker IV and Troy Brown Jr. Last season, Christie rebounded from a rough performance in the summer to look like a credible option for the Lakers as they battled backcourt injuries, particularly during a 12-game stretch in January when he played more than 18 minutes a game. He mostly held up defensively and he showed the promise of becoming a knockdown shooter, something his silky form always suggested even if he didn’t have results in his lone college season at Michigan State. This summer, Christie said the goal is to show he can do more than just catch and shoot — even though he knows that’s the clearest pathway to finding minutes alongside LeBron James and Davis this season. Against the Heat and the Spurs, he showed a real knack for getting into the paint, using his size to create space on floaters and hang-time layups. He’s also shot the ball well, both off the dribble and the catch, reaffirming the expectations the team’s scouting department had for him when he was selected 35th overall in the draft last summer. If Christie can keep it rolling in Las Vegas, he has a chance to be the first Laker to average more than 20 points per game in summer league since Hart did it in 2018. And more importantly, he has a chance to be the latest homegrown Laker to make a difference on the court.
Did you guys know that Max’s real name is not Max? Max is short for Cormac. His full name is Cormac Karl Christie Jr. I like it. Sounds like an old Revolutionary War general or something. When Max is in his prime leading us to championships, people will start to jokingly refer to him as Cormac again, the same way people refer to Curry as Wardell
Gotta say, this is definitely not hype. This kid better make the rotation this year or heads should roll. The only thing I truly wonder about is, can this kid be an actual difference maker? It bothers me just a little that we are losing games in Summer League while he is playing solid minutes. Comes down to the will to win mentality. I cannot really tell if he has the ultimate blood in his veins. I know SL really doesn't mean much, but I would sure like to see him insert his will on the opposition. He has the skills and he has the tools. Frankly, I think he ought to be starting by the end of the season. It would be such a huge win for us going forward, post Lebron. I think he is going to be a star in this league and has the potential to be a #1 option but the real question is can he be a #1 option on a championship club?? This had me thinking about how our SL team operates, do we install the same plays and structure as we do on the actual Lakers team. Is this team even trying to win or are they simply trying to get these guys to learn our sets and how they can play together in our system?
Anyone have any ideas on where to get his Michigan State #5 jersey? The only things I see are size larges on ebay… Maybe if he explodes, it will be more publicly available, but I have a thing for getting our young studs’ collegiate jerseys, or at least attempting. I really want Max’s though.
He's just simply way too good for summer league: not just the skills and athleticism. He play a smart rotational player: going after the boards, taking the best guy on GS, getting to the right sports. Didn't watch Scoot or Thompson or Murray but Christie has to be up there as best players in summer league.
Max looks like a guy with a year of NBA/G-League experience for sure. Still raw in some areas, but poised and like he is gladly taking on the role of being THE guy on this summer league team. Scoot and Thompson looked damn good though, think they might be a rung above Max already, they’re top 5 picks for a reason. I think the Hornets messed up on this one, to me Scoot looks like the kind of guy you want to draft for your franchise, guy that comes in and knows how good he is and plays like it right away, whereas Miller looks decent. Sucks both Scoot and Thompson got injured today though
Love Scoot: he's could be a Westbrook without all the WTF are you doing moron moments. Miller I think will be good. He's just really big and his vision is the best I've seen in summer league. Would have been better to a team which can work on fixing his jumper. Popovich would make him into a star but now it maybe more iffy now without a good team culture Still I'm really impressed with Christie. His size is impressive and he plays big as well, on the glass for example. Plus he just has athleticism that is really sticking out now: now I see why he was a 5 star recruit. Maybe he doesn't have all NBA first team potential like Scoot but the size and athleticism could be borderline All star guy. Plus for the Lakers that combo of him with Reaves: you is just flashing potential awesomeness. Don't want to freak Lakers fans out but something like the DJ/Ainge backcourt. Not the MVPs but just damn good at both spots
Another great showing for young Max. It will be a pleasure watching him get better and better as the season progresses.
