The Los Angeles Lakers signing Christian Wood this offseason was viewed as a potential game-changer for this year. Wood is an extremely talented offensive player and averaged over 16 points per game in each of the last three seasons while shooting a great percentage from 3-point range.
So far this season, Wood’s offensive numbers are way down as he is averaging just 6.8 points per game and his shooting numbers are down as well. But despite this, Wood remains a trusted player for the Lakers off the bench and is embracing his new role.
According to Dan Woike of the L.A. Times, Wood understands that he will not be a high-usage player on this team and is prepared to do whatever the Lakers need on any given night:
“I’m not playing a role I played the last four or five years, which was being a high-usage guy, taking a lot of shots,” Wood said after the Dallas loss. “Playing this role player role, where I’m trying … if the team needs help with rebounds, I have to try and help rebound. And whatever they need to do, I’m there to do. Some nights, they’re going to run plays for me, some nights they’re not. I just got to be prepared for that.”
Wood would continue on, adding that low individual numbers but a positive plus/minus would is the type of winning impact he is looking to have for the Lakers:
“Maybe if I had five points, five rebounds and was a plus-15, I think that’s a great night for me,” Wood said Wednesday. “That would be impacting winning. I’m not putting up 20-and-10s, 30s-and-20s and all this other stuff anymore. I mean, I can when given the opportunity. But this year, I think it’s just more about doing the little things to help out the team.”
The talent of Wood has never been in question, but after stints in Houston and Dallas where he put up big numbers but may have clashed with coaches, some wondered if he cared more about individual numbers than actual team success.
But with the Lakers, Wood has shown he is willing to do anything to help the team win and in due time, those big offensive nights are sure to come as well.
Christian Wood expects Lakers fans to flood Las Vegas if they advance in In-Season Tournament
Wood has played a huge role for the Lakers in their In-Season Tournament games as well. The team went 4-0 in group stage and is now very close to advancing to Las Vegas with just one more victory. Should that be the case, Wood expects the Lakers to have a nice home-court advantage.
“I think you’ll see a lot of purple and gold shirts in there, especially with it being so close to California. The atmosphere, I think it’s win-or-go home. So it’s gonna be fun.”
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
