Lakers News: Age Disparity Between Lakers Vets And Rookie Max Christie Resulted In Harsh Reality For Patrick Beverley

19-year-old Los Angeles Lakers rookie Max Christie, selected in the second round of the 2022 draft out of Michigan State University, has impressed fans and teammates alike this season, though he has carved out a modest role on a roster laden with more veteran players.

During the sixth episode of his new Barstool Sports pod "The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone," 34-year-old Los Angeles starting point guard Beverley discussed a funny locker room behind-the-scenes moment between L.A.'s veteran players and the team's first-year shooting guard.

Beverley claims he tasked Christie with compiling a two-hour playlist for the club, and informed the 6'6" swingman that the music had to solely comprise retro hip hop music.

“'We don’t want no new school rap, right? Give us old-school rap…old-school anything,'" Beverly says he told Christie in defining the parameters of the mixtape. "But Max is only 19.” 

Thus, his "old-school" playlist included 2000s artists like Drake and 50 Cent. Beverley of course was hoping for throwback cuts from the 1980s and 1990s. Some of us old fogies certainly don't think of relatively contemporary artists like that dynamic duo as being retro, but there you are.

Through nine games this season, Christie has averaged a fairly modest 2.8 points on .471/.545/750 shooting splits and 2.3 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per game. He was recently placed in the league's COVID-19 health and safety protocols, and may have lost his rotation spot upon his return from those protocols. 

Yesterday, Christie was a healthy scratch for head coach Darvin Ham. It remains to be seen whether or not he will be sent down to the Lakers' NBA G League affiliate club, the South Bay Lakers, to get some extra minutes, where he would be joining rookie two-way players Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cole Swider. Should he continue to be unused, it would certainly make sense.