3 Lakers Who Need to Play More to Avoid Another Loss to Nuggets

Max Christie

This is similar to the argument for Gabe Vincent. Max Christie has been marginalized in the rotation lately, mostly playing in garbage time or when injuries occur. But, if the Lakers need to put more defensive-minded lineups out there, they may need Christie to play a role.

The Lakers don't really have a good matchup against Jamal Murray. D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves will likely struggle in that assignment. Darvin Ham will try Gabe Vincent and Spencer Dinwiddie first to try and slow Murray down.

However, both of those players come with question marks on the offensive end. Vincent hasn't been able to make a shot all season and Dinwiddie is a highly inefficient player with questionable shot selection.

Christie, on the other hand, is a prototypical three-and-D shooting guard. He doesn't have the shot creation and playmaking Dinwiddie and Vincent provide, but he is a reliable shooter. He has hit 37.8% of his threes in his NBA career and he will get guarded out there, providing crucial spacing for Anthony Davis and LeBron James.

Playing Christie more in the series is a risky proposition. He is 21 and inexperienced. But if the Lakers are struggling to make shots and slow the Nuggets down, Christie needs to be deployed as a point-of-attack defender and a three-point shooter.

The Lakers are currently +300 underdogs against the Denver Nuggets on FanDuel Sportsbook. Whether Darvin Ham can find the right lineups to pull off the upset remains to be seen. Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook now to get in on the action ahead of the playoffs.

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