Lakers' JJ Redick Reveals Why Max Christie Started Over Gabe Vincent vs Grizzlies

The Los Angeles head coach explained his surprising decision.

Dec 15, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Max Christie (12) and Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane (22) reach for the ball in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In securing a 116-110 home victory against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers managed to get back into the winners' circle against an elite Western Conference playoff team with the help of a surprise fifth starter.

While All-NBA frontcourt superstars LeBron James, guard Austin Reaves, and forward Rui Hachimura have remained constants in first-year L.A. head coach J.J. Redick's starting lineup, that fifth spot has been the subject of consistent churn. Point guard D'Angelo Russell was Redick's Day 1 starter, but his lackluster defense and occasionally confounding late-game decision-making eventually got him demoted. Swingman Cam Reddish was Redick's next attempt at a fifth starter, but his issues as a shooter doomed his run, too. Rookie shooting guard Dalton Knecht got the nod for a while, too, but he, too, is a fairly raw defender.

Most recently, Redick had been trying out another defense-over-offense overcorrection, point guard Gabe Vincent, next to Austin Reaves in his backcourt.

But against Memphis, Redick made another change, bringing in third-year wing Max Christie, who at least has the outline of a 3-and-D contributor.

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, Redick acknowledged that it was a tough choice to make a change. Christie's athletic upside and size (he's 6-foot-6 with a reported 6-foot-9 wingspan, compared to the 6-foot-3 Vincent, who in fairness does possess an ample 6-foot-7 wingspan) ultimately convinced Redick to try out the switch.

Redick also said he expects Christie to keep growing as a player, per Buha. Does this mean Christie is going to linger as a starter for Los Angeles going forward? Time will tell, though that feels at least possible.

In the win against Memphis, Christie played for 28:46 of action, 11 minutes more than any bench player. He scored just seven points on 1-of-3 shooting from the floor (1-of-2 from deep) and 4-of-4 foul line shooting, grabbed two rebounds, blocked a shot and dished out one dime, while nabbing a +7 plus-minus. Reddish is the only former starter to have outscored Christie in the contest, nabbing eight points on an efficient 3-of-6 shooting line from the floor, along with 2-of-2 shooting from the charity stripe.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Lakers' three best players showed out against the Grizzlies. Davis led the way with a 40-point, 16-rebound double-double, while Reaves chipped in 19 points and James contributed 18.

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