The Los Angeles Lakers struggled with a few injuries throughout the 2023-24 NBA season. One in particular was Christian Wood, whose season was cut short just before playoffs, missing the last two months due to knee surgery. He is with the team for one more year, as he exercised his player option for the 2024-2025 season for $3 million. Unfortunately, the big man recently underwent another arthroscopic procedure on his left knee and will be re-evaluated in eight weeks. Although the start of the season won’t involve Wood, he still feels confident and excited for a bounce-back year.
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
Analyzing Christian Wood’s Impact and Role in 2024-25
For the 2023-24 season, Wood averaged 6.9 points on 46.6% shooting and 5.1 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game. Ex-coach Darvin Ham leaned towards small ball, including using guard lineups of Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, and Gabe Vincent. With newly acquired head coach JJ Redick, we can expect more size to be utilized in the lineup.
The 28-year-old showcased impressive production in the past, notably averaging 19.1 points on 50.7% shooting and 9.9 rebounds per game from 2020-2022 for the Houston Rockets. Although his numbers have declined since being with the Lakers, expect his minutes to rise when he returns. Redick has emphasized wanting more shooting and spacing the floor, something Wood can be phenomenal at while bolstering the interior defense. Defense, especially rebounding, has been a significant struggle for the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. The Denver Nuggets seemed to get all of the offensive and defensive boards. With Wood returning, he seems determined and more confident to put the past behind him and reclaim his ex-form.
Christian Wood sends a message 👀 pic.twitter.com/MAviPRAeXi
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 25, 2024
The Last Word
With Wood being evaluated in eight weeks, there’s still optimism for him this upcoming season. Before joining the Lakers, he was among the league’s best-shooting big men. His three-point shot looks good, converting at least 37% of his attempts in four of his five past seasons, doing so on incredible volume. While there were moments of his great shooting, Wood’s efficiency ultimately nosedived with the purple and gold. He would end the year shooting just 31% from behind the arc.
Potential reasoning for this may be tied to his utilization. Wood wasn’t being properly utilized under Ham. His minutes declined from his previous year by almost 10. The combination of improper usage and limited minutes impacted his efficiency numbers. If Reddick can utilize him properly and if he is the main big man coming off the bench, the Lakers will be in much better shape.
