Tag: Christian Wood

Christian Wood keeps promise and buys his mom her dream home

Lakers big man Christian Wood blessed his mother with her dream house while fulfilling a promise he made to her when he was just 18.

Playing in the NBA is a huge dream for many young ballplayers. Not only do they want to showcase their skills and compete at the highest level, but they also want to make some big bucks.

Plenty of athletes, regardless of their racial or ethnic background, come from the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum. As they make their way through high school and college, they see their sport as their ticket to the good life.

Pro athletes are all too often stereotyped as self-centered, self-indulgent prima donnas who want to make millions of dollars simply so they can live a glamorous, decadent lifestyle. In reality, many of today’s NBA players are very family-oriented and do not forget their roots.

On social media, Los Angeles Lakers big man Christian Wood pointed out how he promised his mother at the age of 18 that he would buy her the house of her dreams by the time he turned 30. It looks like he has fulfilled that promise with plenty of time to spare.

Wood, who averaged an efficient 18.1 points a game the previous three seasons, has struggled so far this season, and those struggles are well-documented. But perhaps this gift to his mother is more important than anything he may ever accomplish on the hardwood.

Christian Wood talks about how he has stayed ready

Despite being played inconsistently lately, Lakers big man Christian Wood says he has been doing his part to remain sharp and in shape.

After averaging 20.7 minutes a game in October and November, Los Angeles Lakers big man Christian Wood has seen his playing time become sporadic in the month of December.

For whatever reason, head coach Darvin Ham has elected to play Jaxson Hayes ahead of him or even go small whenever Anthony Davis has been resting.

But on Thursday against the Charlotte Hornets, Wood got onto the court for 23 minutes versus the Charlotte Hornets, partly due to starting forward Cam Reddish being unable to play. Wood’s numbers weren’t dazzling, but he shot 3-of-4 and converted all three of his 3-point attempts while also contributing five rebounds, four assists and one blocked shot.

He said he has been doing his part to remain sharp and in shape even though he has failed to get onto the court at all on occasion.

Via Lakers Nation:

“Just me doing conditioning, lifting, watching a lot of film,” Wood said when asked how he stayed ready. “Seeing areas where we could work on. We’ve been lacking a lot in 3-point shooting, so I think is a big thing for me to come in and make shots.”

If Wood starts playing well on a consistent basis and gets back into Ham’s regular rotation, it would be a big boon for the Lakers, as Hayes has been a disappointment, and going small puts them at a disadvantage defensively and on the boards.

It’s pretty much official: Christian Wood has been a disappointment

Many Lakers fans were expecting big things out of Christian Wood this season, but so far, he has given the team next to nothing.

When the Los Angeles Lakers signed free agent big man Christian Wood this past summer, many fans hoped he would help the team. In fact, some fans were downright excited.

It made sense, at least on some level. Wood was a proven scorer who averaged 18.1 points in 29.3 minutes a game while shooting 50.9% from the field the previous three seasons. He is a reliable 3-point shooter who had a lifetime mark of 37.9% from downtown coming into this season.

But this season, Wood has failed to contribute much to the Lakers. This isn’t the case of a good player’s numbers being somewhat depressed: He has been a downright flop, at least so far.

It’s becoming clear what the Lakers’ biggest weakness is

More than anything else, there is one thing that has resulted in the Lakers holding a mediocre 11-9 record.

Twenty games into their schedule, the Los Angeles Lakers are a disappointing 11-9. While they have had scattered moments of excellence as well as wins against very good teams, they are very much a work in progress.

Despite boasting LeBron James and Anthony Davis, arguably the top superstar duo in the NBA, as well as some very capable role players and complementary players, they seem to be underperforming. This begs the question of what’s wrong and what their biggest problem is.

Some would say injuries. Yes, Jarred Vanderbilt, Cam Reddish, Gabe Vincent and Rui Hachimura, to name a few players, have missed significant time with various ailments. Given L.A., as presently constituted, has only been together for about four months, these ailments have thrown a monkey wrench into its efforts to build chemistry. However, the team has had enough healthy players to win more often than it has.

Some would say defensive rebounding. That was a problem very recently, and the Lakers rank last in opponents’ second-chance points. However, they actually rank ninth in defensive rebound percentage, and their overall defense hasn’t been that bad either. In fact, in their last 12 games, they rank seventh in defensive rating and have won eight of those contests.

Some would say slow starts, but the team has improved in that area over the last two or three weeks.

Now that almost exactly a quarter of the season is in the books for the Lakers, it’s clear their biggest deficiency is their lack of 3-point shooting.

Is Christian Wood making a bigger impact than it seems?

Christian Wood may be having a positive impact on the Lakers that goes beyond his basic stats.

When the Los Angeles Lakers signed big man Christian Wood during the summer, some were skeptical given his history and reputation. Others were genuinely intrigued or even excited about how he could help the team.

Wood has had a reputation as an offense-only player who is a terrible defender and will not do any of the little things to help his squad. Even worse, there was a narrative he had an inflated sense of his ability and importance on the court.

So far this season, his attitude has seemed to be good. However, he isn’t producing the way fans hoped. He’s averaging just 6.5 points in 20.6 minutes a game while shooting 42.7% from the field and 30.6% from 3-point range. The 6-foot-9 28-year-old has scored in double digits just four times in 14 contests.

But a deeper dive into the numbers seems to tell a different story.

Christian Wood on containing Kevin Durant in the fourth quarter vs. Suns

New Lakers big man Christian Wood has been accused of being an offense-only player, but he helped them beat the Suns with his defense.

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.

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.

Darvin Ham dismisses Christian Wood’s bad reputation

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham made it clear he has Christian Wood’s back and that he thinks highly of the big man.

When the Los Angeles Lakers signed big man Christian Wood several weeks ago, many were intrigued by his versatile scoring skill set. But some were skeptical he would work out, given the narrative that has dogged him over the last few years.

While with the Dallas Mavericks last season and the Houston Rockets the two previous seasons, he had been branded as a horrible defender who had an inflated sense of self-worth when it came to his ability to score.

But one thing that perhaps led to him joining the Lakers was his pre-existing relationship with head coach Darvin Ham. Ham dismissed the derogatory things others have said about Wood and said it hasn’t colored his opinion of the 28-year-old.

Via Andscape:

“I don’t know what happened in Dallas and that’s not my business,” Ham said. “I don’t know. People say (expletive). ‘He’s lazy. He doesn’t play any defense.’ I know the kid. I know what he’s going to do for me, and he’s done everything that I expected him to do up to this point since camp has been going on.

“And so, I don’t judge my relationship based off other people’s opinion of certain individuals. I deal with you directly and I have my own relationship with him and I know what he’s capable of and what he’ll do for me.”

The two first connected during a basketball camp in the summer of 2015, right after Wood went undrafted out of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

“I’m looking at this kid. He looks kind of lanky and loose, but just getting stuff done on the court on both sides of the ball,” Ham said.

Wood said: “That’s how we first connected. He was a fan of mine. He said I had a lot of games ahead and to stay patient. ‘Let the game come to you.’ It was a while ago, but it’s funny how things work.”

Wood played 13 games for the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2018-19 season. Back then, Ham was an assistant coach there, and he strengthened his relationship with the big man.

After a slow start to the exhibition season, Wood has come on in the Lakers’ last two games. He had 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting on Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings and 5-of-8 to score another 13 points on Friday versus the Golden State Warriors. He has also helped on the boards by grabbing a combined 11 rebounds in 33 minutes during the two contests.

Who has stood out in the Lakers’ scrimmages so far?

According to team sources, four Lakers players have been standouts so far in training camp scrimmages.

The Los Angeles Lakers held their third full day of training camp on Thursday, and so far, things seem to be going well.

LeBron James, according to head coach Darvin Ham, has regained his explosiveness and looks like a much younger version of himself. Meanwhile, Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura have been vying for the team’s third and final starting frontcourt spot, but they have reportedly been joined by Taurean Prince.

Ham has praised rookie guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, calling him the MVP of the team’s first full day of camp. Reportedly, he is one of four Lakers players who have been standouts so far in scrimmages, along with Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell and Christian Wood (h/t Lakers Daily).

Via The Athletic:

“Hachimura, who rejected the assumption that he had lost weight this summer, has been one of the standouts in scrimmages, along with Russell, Wood and Hood-Schifino, according to team sources,” wrote Jovan Buha.

Wood is likely going to be the team’s wild card this season because of his ability to score from multiple locations on the court, as well as the negative narrative that has dogged him, especially regarding his poor defense. Ham said on Wednesday that the big man has been active, engaged and communicative on the defensive end during practice.

New report suggests Jalen Green, as rookie, called out Christian Wood

In the events leading to Christian Wood’s suspension in January 2022, he was reportedly called out by a young #Rockets player. A new ESPN report suggests it could have been by Jalen Green.

When former Houston Rockets center Christian Wood was suspended in January 2022 for refusing to check into a game, reporting at the time suggested his teammates disapproved.

“At least one other of the team’s young players challenged Wood, telling him that as a veteran, Wood should be setting a standard,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Adrian Wojnarowski wrote.

Now, 21 months later, it’s becoming clear who that young player was. From ESPN’s Zach Lowe, in a new feature on Jalen Green:

“You’re supposed to lead by example,” Jalen Green, then a 19-year-old rookie and No. 2 overall draft pick, chastised one of the few veterans on the team — a player Green and others present won’t identify today. Other players and coaches had noticed that veteran playing with a halfhearted selfishness. Only Green spoke up.

“We need you to be better,” Green continued. “You’re supposed to show us how to do this.”

Considering the small number of veterans on that 2021-22 team, the odds strongly suggest Lowe’s anecdote is in reference to Wood’s actions in that Denver game on Jan. 1, 2022.

Wood was traded from the Rockets to Dallas after the 2021-22 season, and he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason.

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Lakers head coach Darvin Ham talks about Christian Wood’s defensive focus

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham is impressed with Christian Wood’s focus and engagement on the defensive end early in training camp.

Many believe big man Christian Wood, who the Lakers signed as a free agent several weeks ago, could end up being a major X-factor for them this season.

He is a highly skilled scorer who can hit from 3-point range and finish strongly at the rim. Those abilities can make them a very potent team on the offensive end.

However, Wood has gained a reputation as a very poor defender, whether because of a lack of effort, an inability to defend well or a combination of the two.

He has said he is motivated to prove the narrative about him being a poor defender and a poor teammate is wrong. Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said that so far in training camp, Wood has been very focused and engaged on the defensive end.

Wood has the tools to be an above-average defender, particularly when it comes to being a secondary shot blocker. If he greatly improves in that category, he could end up being the best bargain in the NBA this season.