Entering his second season in 2023-24, Los Angeles Lakers wing Max Christie is at a pivotal point for his career and development. The Michigan State product is confident in his offseason development, as he put on significant size and put up an absurd 19 points on 50% from 3-point range in summer league.
Per Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report, Christie could be a hidden gem heading into his sophomore season. Hughes writes: “The Lakers are deep, and Christie doesn’t figure to start unless injuries force him into the first unit. But it seems safe to assume his age-20 season will include more than 41 contests and 12.5 minutes per game. Expect a rotation role at minimum.” It’s hard not to agree with Hughes’ logic, as Christie should definitely see more opportunities in his second season than he did last year, as his frame is more NBA-ready due to the mass he put on, and he’s certainly improved as a player. Being a win-now team, however, there’s a reasonable chance that Head Coach Darvin Ham sticks with the veterans on the roster, while ensuring that younger players like Jalen Hood-Schifino and Christie develop as much as possible, behind the scenes. “And if the gains Christie showed off in July prove to be real, fringe consideration for Most Improved Player could be in order,” Hughes writes. This seems like a bit of a stretch just off of volume alone, as in order for Christie to be in contention for Most Improved Player, he’d probably need to be in 6th Man of the Year contention as well, and it’s unlikely he gets enough minutes for that.
He may have one of the best development arcs this season, and be one of the players that’s improved the most, but being in consideration for the award would require a statistical increase akin to that of Lauri Markkanen, last year’s winner, who put up 25 points and was an All-Star.
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