Los Angeles Lakers guard Max Christie (ankle) is available ahead of Thursday's game against the Golden State Warriors. Christie returns to the floor after missing each of the last two games before the All-Star break. The absences of Cam Reddish (ankle) and LeBron James (ankle) should mean an increased role for Christie. He's worth a look as a possible deep league streaming option while he has an expanded role in the rotation.

Los Angeles Lakers guard/forward Max Christie (ankle) will skip a second consecutive game on Tuesday versus Detroit. The youngster sprained his right ankle last week against Denver. Christie has averaged 18.3 minutes per game across his last six appearances, so he's had a pretty significant part to play in the rotation lately. Newly signed Spencer Dinwiddie should pick up most of the available minutes on Tuesday, and his addition could make it very complicated for Christie for the rest of the way once he's available again.

According to Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham, guard Max Christie (ankle) underwent an MRI. The 20-year-old, who's already been ruled out for Friday's meeting with the Pelicans, tweaked his right ankle during Thursday's matchup with the Denver Nuggets. The team is still awaiting the results, and the medical staff will examine him on Friday night. Christie has averaged 5.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 43 games this season. He's not a reliable fantasy asset. But Christie has started seven times during the 2023-24 campaign, so the streaming potential is there. Unfortunately, it appears he could miss time, potentially sitting out until after the All-Star break.

It's funny that every year at the NBA Draft, once the end of the guaranteed money and live appearances arrives at the end of the first round, everybody tunes out and refers to the 60th pick as "Mr. Irrelevant." That's not very accurate though, is it?Speaking historically, the title of "Mr. Irrelevant" could just as easily be applied to each pick in the draft, as organizations differ greatly in their evaluation of talent and their own needs, particularly in a year without the NCAA tournament. The nickname just doesn't reflect how basketball works anymore. Executives strategically stockpile second-round draft picks for the less burdensome financial obligations, and organizations in rebuilding mode get super creative to field a respectable team on a budget.Particularly in the NBA where worldwide talent is plentiful and positional lines continue to fade, the opportunity is everything: in the right situation, the right under-the-radar player can make an immediate, poignant statement. With professional development leagues for 16-18-year-olds, an ever-expanding set of domestic/international opportunities due to the sheer growth of basketball, and widespread NIL rights for college athletes, players of all levels and localities are starting to get their due exposure and now have enough freedom to hone their skills in a place, and at a pace, that fits best with their path to the NBA. 

Introduction

I am inherently skeptical and distrusting of scouting from the high school level to pre-Draft. That's why in this annual article, I tend to favor overlooked college players (love the mid-majors/non-power conferences) with either well-rounded, polished games or specific statistical specialties.We are going to discuss a handful of 2023 second-round picks and undrafted free agent signees who, given their individual skillsets and circumstances, warrant the attention of Fantasy Basketball Managers as potential high-impact rookies for the 2023-24 campaign who can quietly be acquired on clearance once they start showing signs of emergence.As I will frequently emphasize and reiterate: in 2023, there is very little difference between the vast majority of second-round draft picks and undrafted free agents--it always all comes down to the skillsets they possess, their capacity for growth, and the situations they've landed in.Seasons will be made and broken with early identification of the diamond-in-the-rough rookies. I used to list out the many examples from the past season in this introduction portion, but we are now in a beautiful era where there are just too many to count. There is also very little separating the featured players below and those dubbed "Honorable Mentions"--so put in the work and keep an eye out throughout the regular season for who is receiving and seizing their opportunities. 

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Los Angeles Lakers guard/forward Max Christie could be ready for a major step up in 2023-24, with the team reportedly very high on him. "There's excitement that he could follow Austin Reaves' footsteps, what he did the last couple of years," a league source has told Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports. Reaves, of course, had a superb finish to his sophomore campaign last season, becoming a key cog for the Lakers in the playoffs. Christie's numbers are comparable to Reaves' first year in the league, but he also featured a lot less, and the 20-year-old showed his full potential in the Summer League, averaging 19.8 points with 5.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists across five games in Sacramento and Las Vegas. It's now looking like we could also see him make significant contributions when the real action starts.

Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Max Christie was the team's top scorer in Monday's Summer League clash with Miami, scoring 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting in a 107-90 loss. Most of the team struggled to score the basketball, but Christie did a very efficient job and didn't settle with only scoring either. The 20-year-old added six rebounds, four assists and one steal to his tally in 32 minutes. Christie averaged just 12.5 minutes and played only half of the games last season, so he'll be desperate to impress in the Summer League games to earn himself a bigger role for the 2023-24 campaign.