Lakers Coach Gets Candid on Former Michigan State G Christie

Former Michigan State guard Max Christie has shown significant improvement for the Los Angeles Lakers this season, and J.J. Redick has revealed some interesting thoughts on the youngster.

Jan 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Max Christie (12) controls the ball away from Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney (21) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Heading into the 2024-25 NBA campaign, no one really knew what to expect from Los Angeles Lakers wing Max Christie.

Heck, outside of Lakers fans and Michigan State Spartans fanatics, not many probably knew who Christie was.

However, the former Michigan State guard has emerged as key player for Los Angeles this season, averaging 8.3 points over 24.3 minutes per game on 43.9/35.6/85.2 shooting splits.

Christie got off to a rather rough start this year, but he has rebounded to establish himself as a legitimate piece for the Lakers, and Coach J.J. Redick has opened up on the youngster's turnaround.

"He didn’t have a great start, both in preseason and to the regular season," Redick said after the Lakers' recent win over the Washington Wizards. "Him and I talked, and one of the things I said to him, and one of the things I know about him, is that he has confidence in who he is as a player, I have confidence in who he can be and who he is now as a player, and he’d get another shot.”

Not long after, Christie was inserted into Los Angeles' starting lineup, where he has remained ever since.

"When we were kind of going through it there in late November, early December we kind of had to make a decision, well, who’s the fifth guy going to be?" Redick said. "There was some discussion on our staff, and ultimately it was my choice, and I felt really comfortable and confident that Max would be that guy.”

It has certainly panned out, as Christie logged 10 points per game in December and is registering 12.3 points a night thus far in January.

It's clear that the Spartans product still has a lot of work to do, but he is just 21 years old and appears to have a bright future in front of him.

"He’s, in some ways, in a tough spot, because he’s a young guy, early 20s," added Redick. "Hadn’t played much his first two years, and he’s got to go make an impact on a team with really high aspirations, and a team that’s battling in the Western Conference."

We'll see if Christie continues to progress through the remainder of the season.

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