With just 7.1 seconds left, Max Christie attempted a pass to LeBron James under heavy defense from Fred VanVleet. The aggressive play led to VanVleet intercepting the ball, thwarting the Lakers’ chance of tying the game. Although VanVleet missed the layup, a timeout call from LeBron was initially ignored, leaving the Lakers without recourse. Trying to get a grasp of the situation, analysts from SportsNet weighed in post-game, highlighting the pressure young players face in such situations.

Speaking on SportsNet, James Worthy downplayed Christie’s mistake, pointing out the intense pressure of such moments. The Lakers legend, who experienced his share of high-stakes errors during his career, empathized with Christie’s situation.

“You know, you got to know you have a timeout. And you got to make sure that pass is there. You’re open. And it’s unfortunate that they didn’t get the timeout, or, you know, Max called the timeout or, you know, make a decent pass,” Worthy remarked. He continued, “It’s a tough situation over there when you referee counting down, you know. You’re at 4, you know, you think you got to get it in at some point. So yeah, tough situation.”

Unfortunately, this is not the first time this season that a mistake by the up-and-comer, during the final minute, was called out noticeably.

As November started closing out, the Lakers went up against the Oklahoma City Thunder. 30 seconds remained, and the ‘men in purple and gold’ trailed by 2 points. As JJ signaled a defensive call, Christie misunderstood it for a foul. This caused him to foul Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on a drive, being unaware the Thunder were already in the bonus. SGA got two free throws, the lead got extended by 4 points, and the Purple & Gold could not recover.

Worthy’s support stems from personal experience, right from the intense rivalry days Lakers and Celtics shared. In Game 2 of the 1984 NBA Finals, Gerald Henderson intercepted his pass in a similar fashion, allowing Boston to tie the game. The Celtics went on to win in overtime, of course, a pivotal moment in the series.

So, Worthy’s empathy for Christie is a testament to his faith in the young star. But does Christie understand the faith others have in him?

Max Christie admitted to the blunder during the final moments of the Lakers-Rockets game: “It’s on me”

Max Christie was amongst the Lakers players who were interviewed during the post-game presser. As the Q&A session progressed, one reporter highlighted how both LeBron James and JJ Redick had indicated that the execution wasn’t there on the inbounds.

Discussing the same, and his own blunder, Christie stated “I mean we ran the play right, we just…. they switched every single screen. So, they play great defense and, again, I just need to call timeout, I got to be better in that situation. I got to make a better decision than trying to force it. So, it’s on me”.

With Gabe Vincent continuing to be ‘OUT’, Max Christie will continue holding the responsibilities of the starting shooting guard. The only way to ensure that he doesn’t get benched again is if the young star continues to prove that he can learn from his mistakes.