The Los Angeles Lakers may not be as bad as their 2-10 record may indicate, but they definitely don’t have enough pieces to be the super competitive team they want to be.
Positionally, their biggest weakness is 3-and-D wings, which, other than a productive point guard, might be the important type of player in the modern NBA.
Troy Brown Jr. has shown some promise at times offensively, but Juan Toscano-Anderson, the team’s only other small forward, has been ineffective.
Rookie Max Christie showed some promise during summer league play as a 6-foot-6 wing who could provide some energetic defense and rebounding. His outside shooting was poor during summer league play, but in his last three games, he has gotten significant playing time, and he has responded by going 5-of-10 from 3-point range.
Head coach Darvin Ham is encouraged by what he has seen from the Michigan State University product.
Via Lakers Nation:
“Well you know, you don’t want to go too fast and get ahead of yourself, he is a rookie after all. But in saying that, he’s just a smart kid. He comes from a great program at Michigan State, have a ton of respect for Coach Izzo and the type of guys he’s able to produce out of his program. Players and coaches for that matter.
“But Max is just a guy that’s a great sweetheart of a kid, works his tail off every day, tries to get it right defensively, has some really good natural physical gifts. He’s athletic, pretty good shooting touch, and now it’s just a matter of him getting game reps and building that confidence up to where he can be impactful. But he is a smart enough player where you can throw him out there regardless of his lack of experience or his age and he can make it work for you. He can blend right in and do his part and not try to do too much, play within himself and be a good source of production for us.”
Los Angeles needs players who will have not only energy but also a sense of urgency. Christie may be far from a finished product, but he could be a player Ham can count on in spot duty to provide the energy and urgency that the team has lacked at times.
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Story originally appeared on LeBron Wire