Christian Wood has officially become a member of the Los Angeles Lakers for the next two seasons. An NBA insider has provided insight into how the starting frontcourt might look with the addition of this new center.
Wood expressed his excitement about joining the Lakers, stating, “I’ve always wanted to be a Laker. I know we can win a championship.” He also highlighted the importance of his communication with Coach Ham, with whom he has had previous experience during their time with the Milwaukee Bucks. Wood believes he will play a significant role and has received encouraging support from Coach Ham.
Despite being a starting-caliber center, Wood will be earning $5.7 million on a veteran’s minimum two-year deal.
Other players, such as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Dennis Schroder, and Malik Monk, have joined the Lakers on affordable contracts and have managed to revive their careers. It will be intriguing to see if Wood can achieve the same.
According to Lakers insider Jovan Buha, Coach Darvin Ham is likely to have Wood come off the bench, with Rui Hachimura as the probable frontcourt starter alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Buha states, “At a minimum, Wood will be the primary backup center behind Davis and occasionally share the court with him in two-big lineups. When everyone is healthy, he is expected to average around 20 minutes per game.”
Starting Wood poses a challenge for the Lakers, as it would require both Davis and James to play out of their usual positions of power forward and small forward. They have transitioned away from these positions as they have gotten older.
Despite potential concerns about his defense, Wood is known as one of the NBA’s most versatile scoring big men.
