The Los Angeles Lakers made a splash by signing Christian Wood to their 14th roster spot, adding more depth to the team that is coming off a Western Conference Finals appearance.
After being eliminated by the champion Denver Nuggets, it was clear that L.A. had to make moves around the margins to improve their chances of winning another championship with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Wood adds depth to the center position along with Jaxson Hayes.
The former Dallas Maverick will provide an offensive punch off the bench and may play alongside Davis at times, as well as being the starting center when Davis misses time. Fans know Wood for his offense, but he shared the most underrated part about his game, via Spectrum SportsNet:
Underrated? I would say my ability to pass out of the pick-and-roll. I think I’ve developed and gotten better with that, especially last year playing with Luka [Doncic] and the gravity that he pulled with the double teams and leaving me open in the mid-post to be able to make the pass to the corner guys. That’s the real underrated part of my game.”
Training camp is about to get underway, allowing for head coach Darvin Ham to see the new faces that the Lakers signed this summer. Wood has garnered some negative connotations as a player for his lack of defense and the motor he has when he’s on the court, however, it’ll be interesting to see if Ham and his staff will be able to turn his career around and cash in on a new contract next summer.
Wood will seemingly be the pick setter for LeBron James and other ball-handlers, so Lakers fans will be able to see that skillset he described come to fruition.
The Long Beach native is coming home to play for a storied franchise like the Lakers, making it his first opportunity to compete for a championship and learn what it takes to be a championship-level player. For someone filling the 14th roster spot, it seems that there is more upside than negative with getting Wood on a veteran minimum.
Wood believes he & Davis will make ‘crazy pairing’
When Wood first signed with L.A., fans were intrigued with the prospect of him playing with Davis. Wood believes that the two would make a ‘crazy pairing’ and it can be assumed that Ham will experiment with the two big men playing alongside one another.
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