Prior to coming to the Los Angeles Lakers this summer, Christian Wood had a reputation as a player who only cared about scoring and wasn’t willing or able to help his team on the defensive end or in other areas.
Some were skeptical whether he could be a positive element for L.A. But on Thursday against the Phoenix Suns, he made a hugely positive impression.
He played 21 minutes and was on the floor for the entire fourth quarter. Down the stretch, he often guarded Kevin Durant, who killed the Lakers through three quarters. In the final frame, Wood’s length and activity bothered him, and he went just 4-of-11 from the field.
After L.A.’s 100-95 come-from-behind win, he talked about his task of guarding Durant and helping the team win in areas other than scoring.
“Just them trusting me, it was a big assignment… Making things tough for him was big for me.” Christian Wood speaks on guarding Kevin Durant at a pivotal moment in the game. pic.twitter.com/5UfOmkUjJj
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 27, 2023
The big man shot just 2-of-7, but his defense on Durant helped turn the game around. He also grabbed 10 rebounds and aggressively boxed out, especially when the Lakers made a comeback after being down by 12 points to start the fourth quarter.
This is the type of game that can serve as a model for Wood for the rest of the season.