The Los Angeles Lakers took down the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night, muscling past that team 114-106 to the cheers of the Crypto.com Arena crowd.
LeBron James put up a powerful 38 points but it was up-and-comer Max Christie who got the most attention.
Following the game, head coach JJ Redick talked to the press, via Spectrum SportsNet, about Christie’s big night.
He loved the adjustments he saw from Christie and expects even more from him in the future, saying that “just getting him in these situations, I think, is huge.”
“He’s been building now for several weeks,” Redick said and was very happy to witness the young star reach career highs.
JJ spoke about Hayes and Koloko stepping up in AD’s absence, Max Christie’s career night, and LeBron’s impact.
Catch the Lakers action on Spectrum SportsNet+ with the NBA app for Spectrum customers with both Internet and mobile services.
🔗: https://t.co/k8Sa1tLkWs pic.twitter.com/8wvGSLREfl— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 3, 2025
Christie earned a career-high 28 points in the game, along with three rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Redick admitted that he wasn’t too pleased with Christie’s start but he was able to adjust, change his approach, and played a lot better.
This has been a big season for Christie, who has been with the Lakers since he was drafted in 2022.
He is averaging 7.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists a game, which is all more than what he has done in previous seasons.
Redick clearly has a lot of faith in Christie because he is giving him more time on the court.
The 21-year-old star is playing for 22.3 minutes per night and has started in 11 of 32 games.
Christie was already earning a bigger role on the team before Thursday night’s game and now fans should expect to see even more of him.
He is proving himself and how much he can help the team, and Redick is going to reward him.
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