Austin Reaves praises Max Christie for ‘phenomenal’ defense against Ja Morant

Max Christie shined for the Lakers against the Grizzlies and Ja Morant on Sunday, which impressed Austin Reaves.

Max Christie’s season so far has been a roller coaster ride.

It began with him signing a 4-year, $32 million deal in the summer and finally getting a solidified spot in the rotation. After a lackluster start, however, his role was reduced and there were a handful of games in early November where he barely played at all.

He’s slowly worked his way back into JJ Redick’s good graces, even making spot starts due to injuries to Austin Reaves and LeBron James in recent weeks. But even with Reaves returning to the court on Friday and LeBron on Sunday, Christie remained in the starting lineup, a sign of how far he’s come this year.

The young guard didn’t disappoint, helping the Lakers win 116-110. His numbers don’t jump off the page — seven points, two rebounds and one assist — but it was his defense that shined.

He defended Ja Morant most of the night and gave him problems. Morant had to work for every point and went 6-21 from the field.

After the win, Reaves spoke glowingly about his teammate’s defense.

“Max was phenomenal tonight playing defense…His defense tonight on Ja was really good,” Reaves said. “That’s a team that’s been rolling. For him to do what he did, obviously, gives us a very good opportunity to win the game. You want to see a kid like that succeed. A good kid, does the right things, puts a lot of work in. I think he was the first one in the gym this morning getting up shots.

“So, tip your hat to a guy like that and you expect him to do it the next game as well.”

It’s easy to forget, but Christie is still a young and developing player.

Fans shouldn’t be surprised he will have growing pains as he finds his role and maximizes his potential. Yes, this is his third season in the NBA, but at age 21, he is the second youngest player on this roster with only Bronny James being younger.

With the Grizzlies having won 10 of their last 11 and entering this contest with an 18-8 record this win by Los Angeles is one of their best of the year.

Christie getting the starting spot and assisting in the win is huge for this team and Redick also took notice.

“In terms of what we were trying to do defensively, we did a really good job,” Redick said postgame. “Max Christie, in particular on ball, was fantastic tonight.”

Offense can come and go, especially for a young player, but the defensive effort Christie made on Sunday is replicable. If he can continue to be excellent on that side of the ball he’ll be playing 20-plus minutes regardless of whether he starts or not.

For now, he’ll get another start when the Lakers face the Sacramento Kings on Thursday. If that goes well and he can help lock up De’Aaron Fox this week, his case to be the permanent fifth starter will only get stronger.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.