After receiving a sizable pay raise in the free agent market, Los Angeles Lakers point guard Max · Christie recently spoke about his expectations for his third NBA season. He also teased how new coach JJ Redick plans to use him in the Lakers' new offense.
In the 2022 NBA Draft, Christie was selected with the 35th pick, and in his first two seasons, he struggled to get consistent playing time. Still, he showed enough flashpoints as a two-wing wing, and the Lakers offered him a four-year, $32 million contract this summer. At the same time, he was mentioned in the report as one of the team's key young core members.
Since Redick was hired by the Lakers in June, he has been eager to reshape the Lakers' offensive system. Coupled with the departures of veterans Spencer · Dinwiddie and Taurus King · Prince in the free agent market, Christie is expected to have more opportunities next season.
On a recent episode of Buha's Block, Christie told The Athletic's Jovan · Buha that he and Reddick had an in-depth discussion about his new role. According to Christie, his mission is to provide valuable 3-D bench time to take the pressure off the Lakers' veteran core.
"I think both of our schedules are aligned, if you will, on how I want to be used and how he wants to use me offensively, in the rotation," Max · Christie said.
“… I think everybody knows, especially on the offensive end, that we have a bunch of players who can get the ball into the basket, with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell. We have a group of players who can both score and possess the ball.
“… For me, I think we're aligned on that point, as someone who can take the load off them, especially my shooting ability, to open up the space," he continued.
Max · Christie added that the Lakers' offense, as a whole, under Redick, should be more "free-flowing" and more "slicing and smashing."
The Lakers are hoping to bounce back from a 4-1 loss to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of this year's playoffs. However, they didn't make any other offseason trades other than keeping Christie and James and draft rookies Dalton · Knecht and Bronny · James.
So, barring any further changes, the team is likely to rely heavily on internal development and Redick's new coaching philosophy to improve.
Max · Christie said he "tasted" JJ · Redick's coaching style this summer
On Monday's episode of "Buha's Block," Christie also mentioned his experience training with JJ Reddick in Las Vegas this summer.
Despite not joining the Lakers' NBA Summer League roster, Christie noted that he attended the new coach's workout.
"When we were all in Las Vegas, we really got a taste of it, and I worked out a lot," Christie said. 'He's always there. He's always training me and getting me into the shape he wants me to be in the middle of the season. ”
It remains to be seen how far Max · Christie will make in third grade. However, if he can consistently stretch out space and play effective defense, he should play a fairly important role in the Lakers' rotation.
Over the past 67 games, Christie has averaged 4.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.6 three-pointers while shooting 42.7 percent and 35.6 percent from three-point range, respectively
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