As the Los Angeles Lakers head into this offseason, they will be looking to better supplement the roster surrounding superstars Anthony Davis and LeBron James. One of the more intriguing moves they made last summer was bringing in big man Christian Wood.
The talented Wood felt like an ideal big man complement to Davis with his ability to stretch the floor offensively while still providing solid rebounding as well. Unfortunately for Wood, injuries and constantly changing rotations limited his ability to have the impact he and the Lakers were hoping for.
But he will look to show why the Lakers brought him in next season as the big man has exercised his player option for $3 million for the 2024-25 season, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype:
Los Angeles Lakers forward Christian Wood has exercised his $3 million player option for the 2024–25 season, league sources told @hoopshype. Wood appeared in 50 games for the Lakers and averaged 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game. pic.twitter.com/QJZEJxcjld
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) May 7, 2024
By any measurement, Wood’s season was not up to par with what the Lakers were hoping they would get and what he expects of himself. In addition to scoring and rebounding averages that are well below his career numbers, his 46.6% shooting percentage was his lowest since his rookie year and his 30.7% from 3-point range was a career-low.
Needless to say, last season feels like more of an aberration season for Wood and he should be able to bounce back given a more consistent role next year. The skill set is still there and there were flashes of how he can fit with the Lakers last year.
Of course the Lakers are expected to be active this offseason and Wood opting-in to his deal gives them another contract they could conceivably add in to a trade to help for salary matching purposes if they so choose. Either way, there are multiple ways this could be a positive for the Lakers overall.
Anthony Davis wants Lakers to keep core together to build continuity
Christian Wood returning to the Lakers would help with something the franchise was preaching coming into the season, which is continuity. Allowing the same group of players to grow together helps everyone and that is something Anthony Davis would like for the Lakers to do.
“Yeah. It’s all about continuity,” Davis said. “And like I said, a lot of our guys were out of the lineup. Rui [Hachimura] missed games, Gabe missed a lot of games, Vando missed a ton of games, C-Wood. But I think we found something towards the end of the season with that lineup, and obviously, there’s some guys in the locker room who have decisions to make. But I think the way you continue to compete for championships is kind of keeping the core. I learned that just from being in New Orleans.”
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