The NBA Summer League gives teams a chance to evaluate their newest talent and develop other young players that have been with the franchise for a bit. The Los Angeles Lakers, who are off to a 2-0 start in this year's summer league, are impressed with the emergence of several of their participants, including second-year pro Max Christie.

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said on the #thisleague UNCUT podcast that LA is encouraged by the improvements it's seen from Christie and other young players.

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“It’s been beautiful to watch. And one of our young kids, we’re really, really excited about, Max Christie going into his second year in the league. I told him he needs to step up and show his leadership abilities, and he’s done that,” Ham said. “We have some really good players under our umbrella that people are getting a chance to see, and they’re playing the right way.”

Christie was an early second-round pick by the Lakers in the 2022 draft after one season in college at Michigan State. The guard got a decent run with the Lakers as a rookie, averaging 12.5 minutes per game in 41 appearances and three starts, but he played in just four games after the All-Star break and saw sporadic minutes in the playoffs.

The Lakers haven’t been shy to use any and all of the players at their disposal, regardless of draft status or experience. Last season saw the emergence of undrafted guard Austin Reaves who turned into a starter for LA. The Lakers rewarded him with a four-year. $53.8 million contract. Max Christie may not be on his way to that sort of money, but the Lakers are hopeful he can turn into a reliable impact player.