Lakers News: Insider Praises Second Round Pick After First Summer League Games
With only one year under his belt of college basketball experience, the Los Angeles Lakers decided to sign rookie second-round draft pick, Max Christie.
The 19-year old from Michigan State put up big numbers in his freshman campaign which earned him 2021-2022 Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors. In the 35 games he played as a Spartan, Christie averaged 9.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 30.8 minutes.
LA Insider, Jovan Buha, from The Athletic, broke down the action in the Lakers’ three games of the California Classic which took place in San Francisco over the past week.
One up and coming prospect that caught his eye was Christie who also recently signed with Cole Swider and Scotty Pippen Jr.
Despite having less experience out of high school than the others, the 6’6 rookie shows promise with both his active and athletic defensive skills and also his high basketball IQ that allowed him to create some action in the summer tournament.
"He has solid fundamentals. His arms are almost always up and big. He mirrors the ball, making his length more of a factor. He has efficient footwork. He’s a smart defender who reads opposing offenses well."
The former Spartan averaged 7.7 rebounds, third-most of the tournament, and two offensive rebounds, tied for the sixth-most.
Jovan Buha continued to explain Christie's upside on the defensive end of the ball.
"Christie is only 19. It’s understandable that he has a way to go to become even a backend rotation player. But his defensive potential is tantalizing, and his offensive game will round out as he gets stronger."
