Lakers' Max Christie conducts concerning exit interview before free agency

30/04/2024 19:47

Max Christie’s lack of opportunity during the NBA Playoffs carried over into his exit interview. The sophomore’s end-of-season press conference — conducted after the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets — was cut short after 41 seconds because LeBron James was ready to take the podium.

Christie, who played zero minutes in the Nuggets series, had time to answer one question at Ball Arena. Here’s a full transcript:

Reporter: “Max, obviously, a shortened rotation for this series and in the playoffs. Just wondered as you were watching: What did you take in, what were you seeing in the locker room, and what were you thinking (about) where your skill set would be able to help this team moving forward?

Christie (sighs): “Yeah, well, you know, I really wanted to be out there for sure. Tonight sucks, just seeing us get eliminated, because I really feel like I could’ve helped this team. But I think that’s what everybody feels like when they’re not playing. Everybody wants to be out there.

“But we played really hard. I think Denver gave us a lot of problems. We adjusted really well over the course of the series. We got a game last game. We were really close this game. Just part of the season, you know? Hopefully have a great summer and rebuild a try to come back stronger.”

Then LeBron checked in for his presser.

As a 20-year-old rookie, Christie — the Lakers’ lone selection in the 2022 NBA Draft — shot 41.9% from 3-point range in 41 games and held his own defensively. He saw garbage time minutes in the first two playoff rounds but none in the conference finals.

At the time, I asked Christie at his (more formal) exit interview if he was displeased about his lack of postseason run, to which he predictably said yes. Watch the two clips, though. In the 2023 edition, the 20-year-old appears more accepting of his role — his answer more mundane than tinged with disdain.

Max Christie also told me that "of course" he would've liked to get a shot in the conference finals and felt like he would've been ready pic.twitter.com/fdkRIjFWcb

— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvo_) May 23, 2023

One year later, Christie’s seeming discontent is justified. All season, the Lakers needed an athletic, two-way wing, assistance on the defensive glass, and capable 3-point shooting.

In 67 games (seven starts), Christie shot 35.6% from 3, but, like many folks on the Lakers, could never establish a rhythm due to lineup inconsistency. In 14.1 minutes, his defensive rebounding rate was among the best in the NBA.

Instead, Darvin Ham irked the fan base — and raised eyebrows in the locker room — with questionable rotation decisions, including favoring Cam Reddish (and later Spencer Dinwiddie) over Christie.

Christie outplayed Reddish in the preseason, yet Reddish was given the fourth guard role on opening night. Rather than commit to readying Christie for a playoff role, Ham labeled him a “crown jewel” of the franchise and kept him encased like one of Steve Carrell’s action figures in The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

Christie, who made $2.7 million in his first deal, will be a restricted free agent this summer. The Lakers have his early Bird Rights and would like to keep him, and will likely benefit financially from his minimized role (you’d certainly hope this didn’t play a factor in his playing time).

The nature of Christie’s shortened press conference is comical, no doubt. But it also deprived the public of a useful opportunity to hear from this theoretically important asset about his feelings toward the franchise following a frustrating campaign.

It would’ve been nice to see him tested in high-stakes playoff games, too.

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