The Los Angeles Lakers have not even reported to training camp and the injuries already seem to be piling up.
First, it was reported that wing Jarred Vanderbilt may not be ready for the start of camp due to the foot injury that continues to bother him despite having a full offseason to recover.
Then, the Lakers announced that Christian Wood underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. It’s the same knee that Wood got surgery on in March and missed the end of the season.
The Lakers didn’t get any details on how the injury happened as far as if it was a new incident or if his knee just wasn’t healing as quickly as they had hoped.
Wood took to social media to express his disappointment though, saying he was in great shape and ready to go for the season before this:
Damn.. I was just feeling like my old self again and was in peak shape … Minor setback for a Major comeback, and to my fans, don’t stop believing in me ..??
— 35 (@Chriswood_5) September 9, 2024
Wood had previously said that he was out for vengeance and expecting a bounce-back season from himself in 2024-25. Given those comments and this new post, it seems that Wood was feeling healthy and did something to re-injure the knee during his ramp-up for training camp.
The timing could not be any worse as the Lakers said Wood will be re-evaluated in eight weeks, which means he will miss the start of the regular season. Given how long the knee issue has bothered Wood, the Lakers will likely be cautious in bringing him back to assure the injury doesn’t linger for the whole season.
With Wood and potentially Vanderbilt out to start the year though, the Lakers’ depth will be put to the test early. Rob Pelinka and the front office didn’t make any moves to improve the depth of the roster this offseason, so L.A. could be in bad shape if more injuries pop up throughout the course of camp.
In Wood’s absence, Jaxson Hayes is the only center on the roster to back up Anthony Davis other than two-way player Colin Castleton.
Shaquille O’Neal expecting ‘rough start’ for Lakers
When discussing the Lakers, Shaquille O’Neal recently said that he envisions a ‘rough start’ to the season for them. The reason he gave was them having a new head coach without experience in JJ Redick, but all of these injuries would certainly support Shaq’s claim as well.
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