The Los Angeles Lakers made headlines when they signed Christian Wood to a two-year deal. He was static about his opportunity to play for a team he dreamed of since he was young. He is definitely a player that the Lakers could use in their rotation. However, after his struggle to fit in with the Dallas Mavericks last season, there might be questions about his impact. Despite that, Wood has the ability to re-write his narrative with the Lakers in the upcoming NBA season.
Wood stormed on the scene in the 2020-21 season while playing for the Rockets. He averaged an impressive 21 points, nearly 10 rebounds and one block per game in 41 games started. More impressively, there was a stretch of games where in eight of his first 9 games he scored 20+.
NBA great Shaquille O’Neal at one point admitted that he was not familiar with Wood’s game and apologized in the post-game interview on TNT. It was after a game in January of 2021 where he had a stat line of 27 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks. That was when the now Laker made it known that he is a valuable player in the league. Admittedly, not many people expected him to become any better.
After two seasons with the Rockets, he was traded to the Mavericks to start the 2022-23 season. He would have one year remaining in the massive contract he signed with the Rockets in 2020 that was worth $41 million over three years. That came after Dallas had just made the Western Conference Finals and were looking to add more stardom to pair with Luka Doncic.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Christian Wood & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Unfortunately for Wood, that would hinder his aforementioned success. Doncic demands the ball to be in his hands at all times. He currently holds the highest career usage percentage at 35.5 percent. For a player like Wood, that is not ideal. In 2020, Wood had a usage percentage of 25.5 percent. That means for him to be successful, he would need the ball in his hands. That pairing did not work out and the frustration showed.
It was speculated more recently, that part of the reason why Wood was not successful in Dallas was due to coach Jason Kidd. Apparently, he did not approve of the trade to bring Wood to the Mavericks. That could also explain his struggles in the one season he played for the Texas team.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Christian Wood & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Looking forward, Wood has an incredible opportunity to get back to the success he once had in Houston. Even though it will be a different role, his impact could be huge. Anthony Davis has expressed to the team that he wants to get back to his position of playing power forward. Wood in this case could be part of the starting lineup and play the center position. However, there could be games where Wood would come off the bench depending on the matchups to serve as a backup to Davis.
Also, Davis has been dealing with injuries in the past five seasons of his career. He hasn’t played more than 62 games as part of the Lakers. If the opportunity arises, Wood would definitely be a viable option to put points on the board. He has already proven he can go down to the post and has the ability to shoot the ball at a high percentage.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Christian Wood & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
In fact, he has shot the ball at 51% from the field for his career. Additionally, he is a career 38% shooter from the three point line. That indicates that he has the potential to spread the court and provide much needed outside shooting while also being efficient.
All that to say, it is a matter of time before Wood becomes a key figure in the Lakers success. Coaching aside, the soon to be 28 year-old center can find a home on the road to a championship. If he gets the opportunity he deserves, he’ll be able to shed the doubts fans might have and the forgettable year in Dallas.
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