Amid LA Lakers third-year wing Max Christie’s early-season struggles, The Volume’s Jason Timpf pointed out Lakers superstar forward LeBron James’ apparent burgeoning frustration.
Christie, the No. 35 pick in the 2022 NBA draft, was awarded a four-year, $32 million contract over the offseason. The move seemingly signaled that he would be a key part of LA’s rotation after playing a limited role during his first two seasons.
While Christie has been the sixth man in rookie coach JJ Redick’s rotation minutes-wise (18.2 minutes per game), he has struggled to make a positive impact. Through five outings, he is averaging 3.6 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.6 3-pointers per game, shooting 27.8% and 25.0% from deep.
During Wednesday’s 134-110 road loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Christie logged his second-worst shooting performance this season. He went 1-for-6 (16.7%), recording six points, one rebound, one assist, one steal and one triple across a season-high 27 minutes.
Amid Christie’s continued shortcomings, Timpf took to X/Twitter, noting that James appears to be growing fed up with his young teammate.
“LeBron is sick of Max,” Timpf said with a laughing emoji.
James tallied a game-high 26 points, six rebounds and three assists, shooting 69.2% against his former squad.
However, it wasn’t enough to keep the Lakers in the game. They fell behind by as many as 28 points en route to their second straight loss after starting 3-0.
James and LA (3-2) will look to snap their losing streak on Friday on the road against the Toronto Raptors (1-4). If Christie’s offensive woes continue, Redick could be forced to switch up his rotation.
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Among the candidates who could steal some of Max Christie’s minutes is rookie sharpshooter Dalton Knecht.
Through five contests, Knecht, the No. 17 pick in this year’s draft, is averaging fewer minutes than Christie at 16.6 mpg. However, he has been a more reliable shooting threat.
Knecht is averaging 8.2 ppg and 1.4 3pg, shooting 45.2% and 35.0% from 3. He was LA’s third-leading scorer against Cleveland, recording 18 points on 6-for-12 (50.0%) shooting in only 22 minutes.
So, if Christie doesn’t start knocking down more shots, Knecht could surpass him in JJ Redick’s rotation. Moreover, if LeBron James is frustrated with Christie, he may only have a few more chances to prove himself.
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