Lakers News: Darvin Ham Struggles To Rationalize Benching Key Role Player Vs Suns

We're befuddled.

After Los Angeles Lakers All-Star center Anthony Davis was pulled by head coach Darvin Ham early on in LA's eventual 123-113 loss on Sunday afternoon, Ham explained after the fact that The Brow's absence essentially created a ripple effect in his lineup choices the rest of the way.

Per Jovan Buha of The Athletic, this particularly extended to Ham's curious underuse of second-year shooting guard Max Christie:

Darvin Ham says that Anthony Davis’ early foul trouble altered the rotation and led to him playing Max Christie later than he had planned to.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) February 25, 2024

The 6'6" Michigan State University alum played just 5:10 in the contest, and posted a modest stat line of three points on 1-of-2 shooting from long range plus one dime.

Christie has all the makings of a solid 3-and-D player, someone who may actually return draft value in a deal -- no sure thing for any second round draft pick. Through 46 contests seven starts) this year, the 21-year-old is averaging five points on .423/.351/.780 shooting splits, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists, during 17.1 minutes per bout. Those all represent career highs, as he has (generally) carved out an actual rotation role this season. He did at the start of the 2022-23 season, but following a flurry of midseason trades, he lost his gig in the club's lineup.

He'll be a restricted free agent at the end of this season, having inked a two-year, fully-guaranteed deal with the Chargers. It's imperative that Ham give him some consistent run this spring if he thinks Christie is worth keeping, especially given that the Lakers had just nine healthy bodies available yesterday (including two-way players).