Dallas Mavericks guard Max Christie prepared for opportunity after trade from Lakers

While Max Christie stood quietly on the opposite end of the Los Angeles Lakers’ locker room after a recent win, LeBron James offered respect for his then-teammate who earned his way into the starting lineup.

“He’s getting better and better,” said James about Christie after the Lakers’ 111-88 win over the Washington Wizards in Los Angeles on Jan. 21. “That is what this league is all about. First of all, you get the opportunity. You get the confidence from your coaches and then you put the work in. Whoever is on the floor for us at point in time of the game, we have confidence in them to make plays. He continues to get better and better. He’s still young. Super young.”

And now, the 21-year-old, baby-faced Christie has a chance to get better as a new member of the Dallas Mavericks.

The Mavericks shocked the sports world by trading superstar guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. The Mavericks also dealt center Maxi Kleber and forward Markieff Morris to the Lakers for 10-time NBA All-Star forward Anthony Davis, a 2029 first-round pick and Christie. While Davis was the headline-grabbing acquisition for the Mavericks, team president Nico Harrison is also excited about adding Christie, a young, athletic 6-foot-6 guard who can shoot and defend.

“Max Christie was a Lakers starting shooting guard,” Harrison told Andscape. “He doesn’t miss any games. He guards all the best 2-guards in the league. He’s durable. He gets his hands on a lot of balls. His shot is really nice. He’s bouncy. We’re excited about him. He’s going to help us.”

Christie is expected to come off the bench for Dallas behind veteran shooting guard Klay Thompson, a five-time NBA All-Star. With the Lakers, however, Christie had been starting since mid-December after two-plus seasons primarily as a reserve. As a starter in 25 games for the Lakers, Christie averaged 9.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 3-pointers made per game in 28.4 minutes per game this season.

While first-year Lakers head coach J.J. Redick wasn’t very familiar with Christie when he was hired, the latter ultimately earned his coach’s trust after a lackluster start to the season. Redick said that Christie was in a “tough spot” due to his lack of experience and the challenge of living up to the pressure of being on the Lakers. But Christie’s stellar defensive play ultimately landed him in the starting lineup.

“He has confidence in who he is as a player,” Redick said about Christie. “I have confidence in who he can be and who he is now as a player.”

Said Christie: “My confidence grew for sure just being in those situations. Getting the trust from coaches and teammates definitely meant a lot to me. I felt really good. I felt I was playing the best basketball of my career so far. I’m look forward to trying to continue that here.”

The former Michigan State guard was taken with the 35th overall pick in the second round of the 2022 NBA draft. Christie primarily came off the bench during his first two seasons in the NBA. He entered his third season coming off the bench for the Lakers, but instead of being frustrated, Christie kept working on his game, got much stronger through the guidance of Lakers strength and conditioning coach Randy Flores and used a positive mentality to rise up the ranks. Christie also closely watched how James, Davis and former Lakers teammate Russell Westbrook worked and prepared for games.

“Perspective is everything, especially for players that were in my position where you want to play, you feel like you should be playing, you’re putting all the work in, [but] it’s not coming right away,” Christie said. “But for me, my perspective was [watching] the guys we have in the locker room and being able to study them, learn from, and then knowing that opportunity is going to come eventually. It’s a long season…

“And for me, when that opportunity came, I was always prepared just because I didn’t quit when I felt like I wasn’t getting playing time. I stayed in the gym. I stayed in the weight room with Randy. I watched film. I asked questions. So, I felt like I had all the answers going into the game. For me, it was just confidence knowing that I’ve done everything I can to prepare for the moment and the opportunity.”

Another key for Christie as an NBA player is the development of his mental strength.

Christie said he has been talking to counselors and therapists since his rookie season with the Lakers. Christie’s mother, Katrina Christie, is a professional psychologist specializing in mental health. Max Christie said he is an, “advocate for the importance of the mind portion of the game.” Only 25% of African Americans seek mental health treatment, according to Mass General Brigham McLean Hospital.

“I’ve been talking to them for three years now,” said Christie about listening to therapists. “And then my mom is also a therapist. So, having someone like that around all the time is phenomenal for me. And they’ve put a lot of smart stuff in for me to be able to realize when things aren’t going my way, being able to have a different perspective, being able to start the full-figured picture.

“I’ve been blessed with the ability to kind of see in that lens. It’s helped me out a lot.”

Christie scored 15 points during his final game with the Lakers — a 128-112 road victory over the New York Knicks on Feb. 1. About an hour or so after the game, he learned about the trade to Dallas that was a “big shock for everybody.” Christie will have a lot of competition for playing time in Dallas as the roster includes a talented group of guards and small forwards in Thompson, eight-time NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving, Caleb Martin, Spencer Dinwiddie, Jaden Hardy and Dante Exum.

“It’s a big shock for anybody having a transition like that, that fast,” Christie said during the Mavericks’ shoot around in Philadelphia on Tuesday morning. “I am still processing a lot of things and still trying to get my feet underneath me. Just had shoot around to get to know my teammates and to get to know the new system. I am a little bit more comfortable now, but it was a whirlwind for everybody. So, I’m looking forward to the new transition.”

Christie was in an envious part of the NBA world as a starting guard with the Lakers playing with James. His brother, Cam, is a rookie guard with the Los Angeles Clippers and they regularly attended each other’s games. Their parents live in Los Angeles and attend both of their games regularly, as well.

Now, Max Christie is now starting from scratch with Dallas on and off the court. He made his presence known in his first game, scoring 15 points, going 4-for-4 on 3-point attempts and also added nine rebounds, three assists and one steal in 32 minutes of a 118-116 road loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.

​“A lot of emotions,” Christie told reporters afterwards. “I’m still obviously learning some of the sets and just the personality of the team. But I had fun out there even though we didn’t win. It was good to kind of get back out there on the floor and get that first game out the way.”