Lakers’ Max Christie is starting to look like franchise’s latest diamond in the rough
Max Christie remembers sending LeBron James the text.
What do you do to stay ready? How are you recovering this fast?
Christie had just settled into his hotel room in Sacramento. It was a few days before Christmas, and the Lakers were in town to play the Kings the next day. And Christie, a 19-year-old rookie, wanted to know his future first-ballot Hall of Fame teammate’s secrets.
James, who has enjoyed unprecedented longevity in the NBA in part because of legendary recovery and treatment, sent Christie back a list of all of the tools and tactics he uses to stay spry as a 38-year-old in Year 20.
Christie has studied James’ pre- and postgame routines throughout the season. And for the past three weeks, he’s been implementing everything James shared with him, ranging from icing his knees and feet to using Normatec boots to cold showers and foam rolling and stretching.
“Everything he does from after the game in the locker room to before the game, how he gets ready for games,” Christie told The Athletic. “I mean, I’ve observed everything, and I’m trying to use everything that he’s been doing and putting it in my repertoire.”
At first, Christie didn’t notice much of a difference. But a few weeks in, he’s reaping the physical and mental benefits. The Lakers are too, as Christie has filled in nicely for the injured Austin Reaves and Lonnie Walker IV in recent weeks, with his 3-and-D skill set helping the team on both sides of the ball. His stats aren’t eye-popping, but he’s been dependable for a teenager who had question marks about his shot, strength and physicality a few months ago.
Christie appears to be the Lakers scouting department’s latest overlooked gem, following in the footsteps of second-round picks and undrafted free agents like Reaves, Alex Caruso, Jordan Clarkson, Thomas Bryant and Talen Horton-Tucker, among others.
“It’s just a matter of him getting the reps,” Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said. “Me, personally, I throw the age out of it. It’s just whether a guy can help you or not. The work he’s put in since we drafted him, over the summer, preseason, training camp, preseason games, his preparation gives us a lot of confidence in his performance. He’s been having some great moments in the G League when we’ve assigned him.”
Christie said he has been proactive and not reactive during his rookie season after hitting a “wall really, really hard” as a freshman at Michigan State last year, particularly as a 3-point shooter (31.7 percent). His inability to overcome that wall plunged his draft stock, knocking the five-star recruit into in the second round, where the Lakers selected him with the No. 35 pick (the same pick as Draymond Green, DeAndre Jordan, Carlos Boozer and Herb Jones).
“I didn’t take recovery, rest,” Christie said of his college days. “There’s a whole bunch of different things that I’m really being proactive with that I wasn’t proactive with at all last year. And that definitely showed. And so now I’ve learned from last year, coming into this year, and making sure that I’m taking the steps to make sure I’m really healthy and I don’t run into that wall.
“And if I do hit that wall, it’s not going to be like a brick wall. It might be a much softer wall that I can break through.”
When Christie arrived in Los Angeles, he was 189 pounds. He’s now fluctuating between 197 and 200, gaining a solid 10 pounds of muscle over the past six months. Christie works closely with associate strength and conditioning coach Randy Flores (weightlifting, protein and supplements) and team dietician Becci Twombley (nutrition, meal timing and frequency). Their goal for the rest of the season is for him to maintain his weight, with an eye on adding a few more pounds in future seasons.
“Two-hundred pounds is pretty good to be at right now, for now,” Christie said. “Next year, we’ll probably up that a little bit more. But it’s been 10 pounds this year so far. It’s probably more than what we expected, especially in a long season like this.”
Of course, the most important element of Christie’s development has been the extra on-court work he puts in, from individual hours at the team’s UCLA Health Training Center to participating in “stay ready” scrimmaging groups after practice, which include players who aren’t consistently in the rotation and the team’s player development coaches.
“Max is special,” said Kendrick Nunn, one of the other “stay ready” scrimmage regulars. “He’s a sponge too. He listens. He plays hard. He competes. So that’s always a gift to have as a rookie, coming into this league. He’s doing everything the right way. His approach has been good, his mentality has been good every day. He puts in work, he’s a hard worker. He looks good.”
Christie has the additional advantage of being able to play in the G League for the South Bay Lakers, an opportunity that veteran “stay ready” teammates like Nunn, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Damian Jones don’t have due to their stature and tenure. But even in the G League, Christie is intentional with his approach. Instead of trying to increase his usage and show out as an on-ball scorer or playmaker, Christie focuses on sharpening the 3-and-D role he was drafted to fill with the Lakers’ parent club.
“It’s just a big confidence booster to go down there and you’re really just working on your game,” Christie said. “Getting comfortable with the scenarios that you’ll be put in, and you’ll be putting in them more often. … It’s not like I’m going down there trying to score 40 points because that’s not what I’m trying to do. I wouldn’t score 40 points in a game when I’m with the Lakers. So, I’m really just trying to do in the G League what I would do in the Lakers game, which is shoot 3s, be aggressive, play great defense.”
That strategy prepared him for the first start of his career, which came Monday in Denver. About 40 minutes before tipoff, a member of the Lakers coaching staff told Christie he’d be starting at small forward in place of James, who missed the game due to left foot soreness, an ailment he’s battled all season. No amount of proactive treatment and recovery can defeat Father Time and an injury.
Christie, ecstatic about the unforeseen start, sent his mom, Katrina, a text.
“Catch me in the starting lineup,” he said.
“Play hard,” he recalls her saying. “Good luck. I’m proud of you.”
It was Christie’s fifth game in six days between playing for South Bay and the Lakers. He’s exhausted. By early February, he will have likely played more games for the L.A. Lakers than the 35 he logged at Michigan State. But he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s definitely, definitely tiring, for sure,” Christie said. “But, obviously, it’s part of the job, and I love playing basketball. So I’m really happy to be here. And, at the end of the day, I mean, everybody deals with fatigue. So I’m just happy to be here. Come ready to work every day.”
Christie scored a season-high 14 points in 26 minutes against Denver — the first time he’s reached double-figure points in 23 appearances so far. The short-handed Lakers, playing without James and Anthony Davis, lost 122-109 to the West’s No. 1 seed. But the night marked a big step in Christie’s career.
“Well, first career start, that’s a pretty big milestone for me,” Christie said. “Coming in at such a young age and being able to start on a team like this is really cool, and then I think the performance sort of follows that. I think I did a pretty good job, scored my career high in points even though we got the loss. It was just fun out there for me at least having a game like that.”
Ham praised Christie’s performance as “solid” multiple times.
“Just him, just trying to keep it simple, play within himself,” Ham said. “And the biggest thing, his length, his athleticism, he gets his hands on defensive rebounds, he’s great at closing out with an early stick hand (closeout technique) and contesting without fouling. He can make a 3. And he can put it on the floor and make drive-and-kick plays as well. So, just being solid. That’s all we needed him to be. Just compete and be solid.”
Christie’s maturity, basketball IQ, work ethic and eagerness to learn have earned rave reviews from his teammates and coaches throughout the season. He’s often described as a “sponge,” absorbing all he can from his wiser counterparts — even (and especially) James.
“He’s figuring it out, man,” said Russell Westbrook, himself a nine-time All-Star and former MVP. “He’s young. He’s going to be in this league for a long time. I’m happy to be here to help him start his career and make things easier for him. Hopefully, he’ll continue learning, continue listening, and he’s going to do so many great things in the league. Happy for him, especially tonight.”
Christie has already logged 20 or more minutes in seven games, which is rare for a second-round pick on a veteran-heavy roster. He has been thrust into his larger-than-expected role recently due to the Lakers’ recent injuries. Los Angeles entered the Denver game missing James, Davis, Reaves, Walker and Troy Brown Jr., then lost Patrick Beverley to a hip injury in the second half.
Christie is taking advantage of his opportunity, shooting an elite 43.9 percent on 3s and often defending the opponent’s best backcourt scorer. The Lakers have tested Christie in crunchtime both on and off the ball, deploying him against players like Washington’s All-Star Bradley Beal and emerging Kings guard Kevin Huerter.
“It’s been really cool,” Christie said. “It’s definitely a really good experience for me sort of closing out last game in Sacramento, for the most part. … I think the biggest game for me that I closed out was Washington. That was a really big game. I guarded Bradley Beal. To guard an All-Star like him in my rookie year, where he was obviously getting the ball crunchtime, he was going at me, and so I thought it did a good job, for the most part, of making him make some tough shots. So it’s really cool just to see that confidence that they have in me.”
Christie speaks in a manner that is self-assured without being cocky. It’s hard to be both when playing alongside three future first-ballot Hall of Famers and NBA Top 75 members. And if his confidence ever gets out of hand, his daily rookie duties are there to humbly remind him of how long he has to go to concretely establish himself in the league.
“Bring towels and food after games and showers and chargers and cars and a speaker,” Christie said. “I have to bring a lot of stuff, and I’m always ready for it. I take pride in being the best rookie I can be, because I know that’ll carry when I play longer in this league, being the best rookie I can be.”
Monday’s game marked the midway point of the season for the Lakers, who are 19-22 as they await Davis’ return from his right foot injury and contemplate making an upgrade ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline. With his recent play, Christie is a player teams will likely inquire about as a throw-in into a deal, but the Lakers are high on his long-term potential.
With the first half of his rookie campaign behind him, Christie’s perspective on his performance, like his approach and his game, is measured.
“I’d say I’m probably exceeding expectations — at least for me,” Christie said. “I don’t know about anybody else. Not that that really matters. But for me, I think I’ve done a really good job of trying to put myself in positions to help the team win. And I’ve been putting in a lot of extra work and making sure that I’m putting in the time so I can be on the floor. And when I am on the floor, I know I do a pretty good job of being solid, staying within my role and just trying to contribute what I can to the team.”
