Tag: Christian Wood

Christian Wood says LeBron James and Stephen Curry should team up

Lakers big man Christian Wood would like to see LeBron James and Stephen Curry be teammates.

LeBron James and Stephen Curry just had a marvelous experience playing with each other on Team USA and winning a gold medal together. Both men played excellent basketball on the way to winning the gold — Curry had some games where he went into volcano mode, while James was named the MVP.

James and Curry playing together likely had people imagining what it would look like if both superstars played on the same NBA team. After all, two years ago, James said Curry was the one star he would like to play with.

Fox Sports 1 personality Nick Wright made a wild trade proposal that would make the two men teammates — albeit on the San Antonio Spurs. James’ Los Angeles Lakers teammate Christian Wood posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the two future Hall of Famers should team up.

The Lakers, in all likelihood, wouldn’t even consider trading James unless James himself asks to be traded. He recently signed a new two-year deal to stay with the Purple and Gold, and that deal reportedly includes a no-trade clause.

Christian Wood exercises player option, will remain with the Lakers

One of the Lakers’ most skilled and capable bench players is sticking around for another season.

One of the problems the Los Angeles Lakers had down the stretch of this season and in the playoffs was a lack of depth, especially in the frontcourt.

Forward Jarred Vanderbilt, a key reserve dating to the middle of last season, suffered a midfoot sprain in early February and never returned. His defense, rebounding and overall energy could’ve greatly helped in the first round of the playoffs.

Overall, the Lakers’ offense was probably a bigger problem than their defense in that playoff series versus the Denver Nuggets. Their bench gave them next to nothing offensively, and their offense dried up in the second half of each of the series’ five games.

This is where Christian Wood could’ve helped. The backup big man went on the shelf in February because of a knee ailment, and although he was available for Game 4 and Game 5, he didn’t get onto the court.

He tweeted a few days ago that he loved his first year with L.A. Indeed, the 2023-24 campaign was his first year with the Lakers, as he exercised his player option for next season in order to remain with the team.

Wood, who was born in Long Beach, California, was mostly a disappointment this season. His per-36 scoring average and shooting efficiency dropped compared to recent seasons, but his rebounding helped the Lakers, and perhaps sticking around will result in a boost in his offensive production.

Christian Wood loved playing for the Lakers this season

Will Christian Wood remain with the Lakers next season and perform better, especially offensively?

Maybe the Los Angeles Lakers weren’t totally ravaged by the injury bug this season, but a number of their supporting players had trouble staying healthy and spent a considerable amount of time on the injured list.

Most notably, guard Gabe Vincent missed almost every game from early November to late March due to a knee ailment that required surgery. Forward Jarred Vanderbilt was limited to 29 games because of a heel ailment and midfoot sprain, and Rui Hachimura missed time due to multiple ailments.

Christian Wood was brought in last summer to provide depth and scoring punch off the bench. The big man had been a proven scorer the last few years, but he was a disappointment as a Laker.

He went on the shelf for the rest of the season in February due to a knee injury that led to surgery. But based on a tweet he posted, it sounds like he would like to stay with the Lakers.

In 50 games this season, Wood averaged 6.9 points on 46.6% overall shooting and 30.7% from 3-point range in 17.4 minutes. It was a far cry from the 18.1 points on 50.9% from the field and 38.1% from downtown in 29.3 minutes a game he averaged in the previous three campaigns.

He has a player option for about $3 million for next season.

Christian Wood, Jarred Vanderbilt will not return to Lakers for Game 3

The Lakers’ frontcourt depth will remain depleted in Game 3 versus the Nuggets.

The Los Angeles Lakers are playing for their playoff lives. Even though they will not face elimination in Game 3 of their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, it sure feels like it.

They blew double-digit leads in both of the first two games of the series, including a 20-point second-half lead in Game 2. At this point, it seems the only way the Lakers could beat the Nuggets is if both Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray break their legs and are unable to play and the Lakers run up a 50-point lead.

There was hope that Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt, two of their key frontcourt reserves, would be able to return from injury in Game 3. They have been out since February because of a knee ailment and midfoot sprain, respectively.

But the cavalry will not be coming, at least not yet. Both remain out for Game 3 at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday.

Los Angeles’ bench has produced next to nothing in the first two games. Only one of its reserves — forward Taurean Prince — has scored, and it is a big reason the team is averaging 101 points per game in the series after putting up 120.3 per game in the regular season after the All-Star break.

Bad news regarding Christian Wood’s injury status

Backup big man Christian Wood may be done for the season after the latest update on his injured knee.

As the Los Angeles Lakers fight to, at the very least, hold on to the final play-in tournament spot in the Western Conference, they’re having to go to war while somewhat short-handed.

Guard Gabe Vincent and forward Jarred Vanderbilt, arguably their two best perimeter defenders, have been out for several weeks due to a knee ailment and foot sprain, respectively. While both have made progress and are doing some cautious, conservative work, neither seems particularly close to returning.

It’s also easy to forget that backup big man Christian Wood is out of action due to a knee ailment of his own. He hasn’t played since Feb. 14, and he will reportedly have a procedure that will keep him out for several more weeks.

Given the team’s situation, it could very well mean his season is over.

Via ESPN:

“Lakers forward Christian Wood will undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee and is expected to be sidelined for several weeks, sources told ESPN on Monday,” wrote Dave McMenamin.

While Wood, who established himself as a very capable scorer in prior seasons, has been a disappointment with L.A., he has shown an ability to help the team with his rebounding.

Without him, its big man depth has been seriously depleted. Its only backup center right now is Jaxson Hayes, who is an energy player lacking on the defensive end and without any real offensive skills.

Lakers big man Christian Wood to miss two weeks with knee swelling

The Lakers’ big man rotation will be depleted for at least a little while.

Throughout this season, it has seemed like the Los Angeles Lakers haven’t been able to catch a break when it has come to injuries.

Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt, arguably their two best perimeter defenders, will be out for an extended stretch with a knee ailment and foot injury, respectively. Both are expected to be reevaluated pretty soon, but neither is necessarily expected to return soon.

In addition, LeBron James and Christian Wood will miss L.A.’s first game back from the All-Star on Thursday against the Golden State Warriors. James underwent treatment on his ailing ankle, while Wood has knee swelling.

As a result, Wood will reportedly be out for about two weeks. However, the team is hopeful his knee ailment is minor.

His absence will seriously hamper the Lakers’ big man rotation. While Wood’s offensive production has been somewhat inconsistent, he has helped them with his rebounding and even, to a certain extent, his defense.

He’s averaging 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 0.7 blocked shots in 17.4 minutes a game while shooting 46.6% from the field and 30.7% from 3-point range this season.

LeBron James, Christian Wood will not play in Thursday’s Lakers vs. Warriors game

It looks like the Lakers will be somewhat depleted when they return to action on Thursday against the Warriors.

After the long All-Star break, the Los Angeles Lakers will return to action on Thursday when they travel north to take on the Golden State Warriors.

They have been on something of a roll lately. They’re on a three-game winning streak and have claimed six of their last seven contests and 11 of their last 16, a spurt that has put them four games over .500.

But that momentum still seems fragile, and L.A. will need to keep winning games in bunches in order to have any real shot at making the playoffs.

Unfortunately, it will be short-handed on Thursday. Both LeBron James and backup big man Christian Wood will sit out the contest against Stephen Curry and crew.

James said recently that he could end up missing Thursday’s game since he sought treatment for an ankle ailment prior to the All-Star game.

The good news for the Lakers is that both Max Christie and Cam Reddish are listed as questionable after missing several games each. Christie, in particular, has shown promise lately as a tenacious defender and improving perimeter shooter.

Golden State will not be an easy opponent for the Lakers. It has won eight of its last 10 games, and some are now believing in its potential as a dark-horse contender in the Western Conference.

Christian Wood on Lakers: I think we’re a top-six team

Lakers backup big man Christian Wood sounds very confident about his team’s ability to make the playoffs and bypass the play-in tournament.

With the NBA trade deadline in the past, players across the league can play with the security of knowing they will remain with their current teams for the rest of the season.

The Los Angeles Lakers came up in trade rumors as much as any other team this season. They were rumored to be after Dejounte Murray and Bruce Brown, among others, but they elected to make no moves ahead of the deadline.

They signed veteran guard Spencer Dinwiddie from the buyout market, and he could be a solid contributor for them. Perhaps he will be the caliber of player they were hoping to get via trade, other than perhaps Murray, who is a former All-Star.

Los Angeles is 28-26 and ninth in the Western Conference. It appears the team is on its way to the play-in tournament again, but backup big man Christian Wood believes his crew is capable of doing much better.

Perhaps the biggest problem the Lakers have had all season is consistency. While they have defeated a number of the league’s best teams, they have also lost to many teams beneath them in the standings, usually in blowout fashion.

The vast majority of their games over the next six weeks will be at Crypto.com Arena, which will give them a golden opportunity to get hot down the stretch. Last season, they won 18 of their last 26 regular-season games en route to a Western Conference finals appearance.

5 realistic trade targets for the Lakers that would make LeBron James happy

These players are actually available for a price the Lakers can afford.

As we approach the 2024 NBA trade deadline, basketball fans can almost definitely count out any deal involving LeBron James.

But that doesn’t mean that James doesn’t want more talent on the roster in Los Angeles. James is applying pressure on the organization to make some moves, which is not exactly unusual behavior for the four-time NBA Finals MVP this time of year.

This is perhaps a quieter trade deadline than normal because many of the bigger names (e.g. James Harden, OG Anunoby, and Pascal Siakam) were moved earlier this season.

However, several other players are still potentially available and could make for a good fit in Los Angeles.

We looked at some options actually on the market within a price range that Los Angeles could afford. That means the Lakers could realistically make a move for some of the following players if they want to make the playoffs and potentially even avoid the play-in tournament:

Was Christian Wood upset he didn’t start versus the Hawks?

Before Tuesday’s game versus the Hawks, Lakers big man Christian Wood posted a cryptic tweet that many interpreted as frustration over not starting.

After winning five of seven games and showing signs of life, the Los Angeles Lakers took a step back on Monday when they were trounced, 135-119, by the Houston Rockets, a team they definitely should’ve beaten without much trouble.

They took the court again on Tuesday versus the Atlanta Hawks, but they would have to play without Anthony Davis, who was out due to hip spasms.

Head coach Darvin Ham decided to start Jaxson Hayes, who has played sparingly of late, in Davis’ place instead of Christian Wood, who has played fairly well over the last few weeks.

Before the opening tip, Wood posted a cryptic tweet that seemed to hint he was unhappy about not starting.

Wood played relatively well, scoring nine efficient points and grabbing eight rebounds in 22 minutes. But the Lakers lost again, 138-122.