The Los Angeles Lakers made their last major roster move as they signed big man Christian Wood to a two-year contract with a player option for the second season. The move could potentially be a huge one as Wood is extremely talented and brings size and shooting to the Lakers, though he does come with attitude concerns.
But at this point, the franchise clearly believes the talent is worth the risk and now the Lakers look to have one of the most complete and versatile rosters in the NBA. And one former player who agrees with that is Lamar Odom.
A key component to the Lakers’ back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010, Odom took to social media following the team’s announcement of the Wood signing, calling it a nice pickup and believe that the Lakers are a big time threat this season:
That’s a nice pickup to add to the Lakeshow👏🏽👏🏽.The squad is looking to be a real big time threat this season! https://t.co/94pvfgocSl
— LAMAR ODOM (@LamarOdom) September 6, 2023
The talent of Wood is not in question. At 6’10”, he provides size and his offensive skill set is a huge plus. His last year, he averaged 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds for the Dallas Mavericks while shooting 37.6% from 3-point range. In the previous two years with the Houston Rockets, he averaged 19.1 points and 9.9 rebounds while shooting 38.4% from deep in 109 games.
Wood has the ability to fit in with multiple different lineups and fill different roles depending on what the team needs. He could be the ideal fir next to Anthony Davis as he provides necessary floor spacing and even though defense isn’t his strong suit, he does still have the size to guard most centers, allowing Davis to roam as he does best while also cleaning the glass.
Odom was one of the most unique and talented forwards during his time in the NBA and his versatility allowed the Lakers so much lineup flexibility. While obviously different players, Wood brings something different to the Lakers and Odom believes this move could put them over the top in their quest for another championship.
Early expectation is for Christian Wood to come off bench for Lakers
The Lakers’ frontcourt is very deep, but Wood will certainly get his minutes. With training camp still a ways away, the early belief is that Wood will begin the season in a reserve role, backing up Davis and spelling him.
Wood is still expecting to play a big role for this Lakers team and coming off the bench doesn’t eliminate that possibility as he can be a crucial part of the rotation.
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