Lakers News: Could Max Christie Become A Permanent Part Of L.A.'s Rotation?

He's been getting minutes lately.

Your Los Angeles Lakers allocated meaningful rotation run to rookie shooting guard Max Christie, the No. 35 pick out of Michigan State, for the fourth consecutive contest, writes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register.

With the Lakers missing some depth along the perimeter (LeBron James and Dennis Schröder sat with injuries), the 6'6" swingman is averaging 4.5 points (on 42.8% shooting) and 4.8 rebounds per game, and has suited up for 14 minutes or more in each of those four contests. Modest numbers, sure, but in theory Christie represents a long-term 3-and-D prospect for Los Angeles.

Christie is approaching his new role for the time being with a fairly laissez-faire ethos.

“If I have an off game, it’s not the biggest deal because nobody really expected me to contribute anyway,” Christie said, per Goon. “So it’s just sort of icing on the cake for me to keep going as hard as I can, but at the same time there’s no pressure on me.”

Christie played 20:39 minutes during yesterday's blowout victory over the visiting Brooklyn Nets, and only five those minutes came with the game safely in hand -- meaning he played 15 legitimate rotation minutes, wherein Los Angeles head coach Darvin Ham was counting on him to contribute. He took just one shot (and missed), though he did pull down nine rebounds for L.A. Christie played more minutes than vets Kendrick Nunn (10:35) and Juan Toscano-Anderson (2:07), plus sharpshooter Matt Ryan (6:29), thanks mostly to his defensive attributes.

Ultimately, it makes sense for the Lakers to look to develop a long-term prospect with defensive upside, especially given that the team does not seem to be headed to the postseason any time soon. If Nunn and JTA don't offer a significant competitive advantage anyway, then Los Angeles might as well see what it has in Christie.