The Los Angeles Lakers are struggling right now and following their 112-98 loss on the road against the Miami Heat, Los Angeles now finds themselves 14-21 on the season.
Who knows what this team will look like by the end of the season, but on Thursday, the Lakers made a roster move by sending rookie guard Max Christie back to the South Bay Lakers in the NBA G League.
Christie, 19, has played in a total of 19 games this season for the Lakers, but he really has not played much other than in a “mop-up role” late in games when they have already been decided.
Playing in a total of 239 minutes to this point, Christie has averaged 3.0 points and 2.3 rebounds per game while shooting 35.8 percent from the floor and 41.2 percent from three-point range.
Since November 5, Max Christie has played in a total of four games in the G League, averaging 15.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 63.2 percent from three-point range with the South Bay Lakers.
This move by the Lakers to assign Christie to South Bay really is not a shock, as this is something the rookie guard has done all season long.
Gaining extra reps in practice and being able to work on his development away from the Lakers in the NBA is something Los Angeles values highly right now and they believe that Christie could be a key player for them long-term.
Not really having a ton of options in terms of building a long-term, sustainable team through the NBA Draft for years to come, Max Christie represents one of the Lakers’ only youthful options in terms of development.
His stint in the G League should not last long though, as the Lakers have brought Christie back-and-forth all season long.
The Los Angeles Lakers will play their next game on Friday night on the road against the Atlanta Hawks.
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