Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick has had four players start every game when healthy this season, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura. There has been a fair bit of rotation when it comes to that fifth spot, though, and before the Lakers’ game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, Redick revealed what kind of player he wants for it.
“A lot of discussion around that,” Redick said. “Because of some injuries and truthfully just trying to find something that worked, we tried a bunch of different lineups. We don’t want to do that, and ideally we want to have that fifth guy be a complementary piece to the other four guys and that complementary piece most likely looks like a point-of-attack defender.
“A guy that doesn’t need the ball in his hands,” Redick continued. “He’s gonna play hard, he’s gonna pick up full court, can shoot threes. So yeah, we’re trying to find some level of consistency for the group and that fifth guy. If there’s somebody that can sort of find consistency individually, we’d like that spot to remain with the same guy.”
Well, it appears safe to say D’Angelo Russell won’t be getting back that starting spot. The one individual on the Lakers roster who somewhat fits the bill is the one who was the fifth starter against the Grizzlies, Max Christie.
Christie doesn’t need the ball in his hands, plays good defense, and is a good shooter, although he hasn’t shot the ball well this season (32.1% from three). The 21-year-old finished with seven points (1-3 FG), two rebounds, one assist, and one block against the Grizzlies. He didn’t have a great game offensively but did well on defense.
Max revealed after the contest that Ja Morant was his main assignment and he did manage to cause some problems for him. Morant had 20 points against the Lakers but went just 6-21 from the field.
Max Christie keeping Morant quiet was a big reason the Lakers won 116-110 to improve to 14-12 on the season and Redick had high praise for the guard in his postgame press conference.
“In terms of what we were trying to do defensively, we did a really good job,” Redick said. “Max Christie, in particular, on ball was fantastic tonight.”
Redick was also asked about his pre-game comments and why he chose Christie to be the fifth starter.
“In terms of the decision, it wasn’t an easy decision,” Redick said. “We really feel like as a staff, Gabe (Vincent) has been fantastic the last couple of weeks, particularly on the defensive end with his physicality and on-ball stuff. And he’s also had some good offensive games as well.
“I think the size and just the athleticism and the fact that Max has a really good feel for the game and he can move, was important,” Redick added. “And then just in terms of his long-term outlook and his growth, I think these opportunities are great for him.”
These games are virtually an audition for Christie. He can lock down that fifth starting spot if he plays well enough and will get his next chance to impress when the Lakers take on the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on Thursday at 10 PM ET.
If Christie fails to impress over the coming weeks, the Lakers might well have to find the fifth starter via trade. Brooklyn Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith is a name they’ve been linked to and he perfectly fits the profile that Redick mentioned.
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