The Los Angeles Lakers brought in a number of veterans last summer that they believed would help take this team to another level and arguably the most intriguing was big man Christian Wood.
A big man who can stretch the floor while also helping on the glass and even provide a bit of rim protection, Wood’s skillset seemingly fit perfectly next to that of Lakers stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
Unfortunately, Wood never quite found his footing with the Lakers as his role and minutes fluctuated throughout the season. Wood would go through stretches as the first big man off the bench seeing 20-plus minutes per game, but then barely see the floor or not play at all in other contests.
As such, Wood’s numbers suffered mightily as he averaged just 6.9 points and 4.3 rebounds in 50 games, his lowest numbers since 2019. Additionally, Wood’s biggest asset, his shooting as a big, fell off a cliff and the career 37.2% 3-point shooter knocked down just 30.7% from deep in his first season with the Lakers.
Things would only get worse for Wood as he would suffer a knee injury that would require arthroscopic surgery. While there was hope that he could potentially return for the postseason, he did not see the floor for the Lakers in the playoffs.
2023-24 Highlight
Christian Wood didn’t necessarily have many standout games and his role on the Lakers overall was different than in his previous stops as he was asked to focus more on things other than scoring. Even still, the big man had some strong performances early on in the season such as a pair of double-doubles in early-season wins over the Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers.
His best stretch of the season, however, came in January. Over a six game, span Wood looked like the impact player he is capable of being, averaging 12.2 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 54.2% from the field and 38.9% from 3-point range.
2024-25 Outlook
Wood opted into the second season of his contract and with the Lakers coming into this season with the same frontcourt rotation as last year, the opportunity for Wood to bounce back and be a major contributor is there. With new head coach JJ Redick bringing some changes to the offense, a player of Wood’s skillset could potentially thrive.
First and foremost, Wood will have to stay healthy after missing the end of last season. He will also need to provide at least some level of defense and rebounding as the high-energy Jaxson Hayes always gives maximum effort and became something of a fan favorite down the stretch of last year.
Wood has the skills to be a big part of the rotation this year and brings something to the table nobody else does. But he will have to put in the work and earn that spot and with the Lakers still looking to bring in another big body, Wood’s room for error could get even smaller and he could easily find himself out of the rotation if he can’t produce.
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