The Los Angeles Lakers have a tall task ahead of them, trying to beat the Atlanta Hawks despite Anthony Davis‘ being unavailable. The Lakers have two choices for a starter behind AD, relying on Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood off the bench. Lakers coach picked Hayes over Wood for the game against the Hawks, seemingly prompting Wood to send a cryptic ‘lol’ on X minutes after the starting lineups were announced.
Lol
— 35 (@Chriswood_5) January 31, 2024
Christian Wood is averaging 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds this season. He joined the Lakers on a minimum contract in the summer after a disastrous stint with the Dallas Mavericks, which meant no team in the NBA wanted to sign him. He’s been decent for the Lakers at times but the same limitations that soured his time with Dallas seem to be affecting him in LA.
Hayes is averaging 3.0 points and 1.7 rebounds this season. He’s nowhere near the offensive player Wood is but is leagues better as a defender. He also adds more size and is a more attractive lob threat at the rim, but the only reason for his start has to be to replicate the rim protection AD provides. Wood has been a negative defender for years and that reputation has lived on in LA, as Wood’s poor defensive skills often keep him out of the lineup.
If Wood falls out with another team in the NBA, his career would be in jeopardy. Outside two seasons with the Houston Rockets, Wood has switched teams every year of his career, with no franchise that’s had him before wanting to keep him long-term.
While this is a bad look for Wood, he definitely is justified in wanting to play over Hayes, given the difference in production from both players this season.
Christian Wood’s Lack Of Professionalism Made Teams Hesitant To Sign Him
Christian Wood is a talented basketball player, capable of putting up big numbers if given the opportunity. However, Wood is widely recognized in NBA circles as a player whose stats are better on a worse team because of his selfish style of play.
After burning out with the Mavericks last season, and taking social media shots at the team for reducing his minutes to decrease his market value, experts around the league warned teams from signing Wood. His lack of professionalism and defensive coordination were the main reasons behind the belief.
“Sources around the league point to two major deficiencies. One, despite the blocked shots, Wood’s contributions on defense are lacking, frustrating former coaches and teammates. And two, there seems to be a disconnect between what Wood thinks of his place in the league and how the league as a whole views him. There are related concerns about his professionalism.”
Wood came into this season wanting to get rid of these false narratives around him but it hasn’t gone well so far. Even this incident shows Wood is still thinking about himself instead of the team, which is something Mavericks coach Jason Kidd has previously implied held Dallas back last season.
A lot of this blame could easily go to Darvin Ham, but Wood has shown this pattern at previous teams he’s been on as well. At some point, he needs to look internally and play his role, especially with the Lakers 24-24 and trailing to the Hawks without AD.
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