Lakers: How D’Angelo Russell helped get Max Christie back on track

TORONTO — The game started more than an hour before tip-off friday evening in Canada, Lakers guards D’Angelo Russell and Max Christie strategize on one side of the locker room as they prepare for the Raptors.

During the first two weeks of the season, Christy struggled.

“I’m just playing with a robot,” he told People.

In his third season, now with a true role as the first player constantly coming off the bench, much of the momentum he gained over the summer and preseason has slipped away due to a flurry of missed shots and defensive insecurities.

Russell saw a window to do something.

Two players talked about how, when Christie checked in later that night, Russell tried to break the defender off the dribble, allowing Christie to quickly come out of the backdoor for a layup.

It was prophetic.

On the first possession after Christie checked midway through the first quarter, Russell left-handed the ball to Christie in the corner. And just as they were saying, Christy hit the edge hard. Russell made a pinpoint pass with a bounce that found his teammate who exploded toward the rim for a hard layup and foul.

“Crazy, right?” Russell said with a huge smile after the game.

Christie finished with seven points, his best offensive output of the young season. He finished plus-7, the first time the Lakers have outscored their opponents in Christie’s minutes.

“I’m just finding ways to make the game easier for our younger guys, trying to simplify it, help them think less, help them be the best they can be,” Russell said. “As for me, I know Max is a confident guy, so I try to instill confidence in him and keep him there despite the storm and the challenges. Just keep that confidence and you’ll be fine.”

For the Lakers, moments like these are crucial as the team tries to build trust with each other under a new coaching staff and a new system.

That’s especially encouraging for Russell, who was pushed this summer by JJ Redick to become a consistent vocal leader who wants to win more than anything.

“That’s one of the challenges I gave him the first day he came into the gym and he used his voice. He was energetic and we talked about it afterwards. And I said that’s what I want, that should be your standard,” Redick said. “It has to be who you are every day, whether shots are going or not or if you’re subbed out at the end of the game. And look, he played very well today. He’s going to have a lot of good games where he’s going to play well. His spirits didn’t drop a bit during the early season shooting battle, by any name. He was fantastic.

“And I think that’s a great example for all of our guys. … That’s something we talked about with a lot of our senior players. You have to be a leader among these young guys and help pick them up. Give them some confidence and it’s good to hear that DLo did it.”

The league has reopened its investigation into Jackson Hayes

The NBA is reopening its investigation into the 2021 incident in which Jackson Hayes was arrested and charged with 12 misdemeanors, including domestic battery and resisting arrest, following a video released early Saturday morning on the TMZ website.

Hayes later pleaded no contest to two counts of unlawful imprisonment and resisting arrest. He was sentenced to community service with a probationary period. The NBA did not fine him.

Surveillance footage obtained by TMZ showed an argument between Hayes, then a member of the New Orleans Pelicans, and his girlfriend, Sofia Jamora. In the footage, Hayes pushes Jamora and spits at her.

“In light of the media reports and the video released (Saturday) morning, we are reopening our investigation,” NBA spokesman Mike Buss said.

Speaking to reporters Sunday in Toronto, Redick said the team is aware of the league’s investigation and is cooperating with it, but would not comment.

After the team signed Hayes to a contract in 2023, general manager Rob Pelinka said the Lakers took the allegations “very seriously” and “conducted a full vetting process.”

“Jackson was very sincere (with) his apology for handling it and moved on, where he played a year or two in the NBA after that,” Pelinka said. “It was something that we felt like he owned, took ownership of it and was going to come out a better person on the other side.”

The Lakers play Monday at Detroit.