• Christian Wood is looking to have a breakout season on the Lakers
• The talented big man hasn’t spent more than two seasons with a team since being drafted
• Wood signed a minimum with the Lakers after a tough season in Dallas where his attitude was heavily criticized
Christian Wood has been trying to find a home in the NBA since the start of his career, a process which has led to a lot of heartbreak. After being held responsible for the Mavericks’ disastrous season in a contract year, Wood had to wait till September to find a team and sign on the veteran minimum with the Lakers.
Wood is ready to shatter the narratives that have spread about him after his failed stint in Dallas.
“I think there’s a lot of false narratives out there about me. I think I put up 17 and 9 or something like that and I signed for a vet minimum. I’ve seen a lot of talk of ‘Why is he going for the vet minimum? Maybe it’s character issues, maybe it’s this, maybe it’s that.’ But when you really look at it I’ve never had any problem on a team.”
"I think there's a lot of false narrative out there that was about me… I've never had any problems with any team… This will probably be one of my most motivated seasons."
Lakers big man Christian Wood speaks on the rumors about his character 👀pic.twitter.com/pejoWlK5tD
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 3, 2023
Wood has had troubling narratives about his locker room adaptability and relationship with coaches his entire career. Now that he’s a small part of a title-contending Lakers squad, this is the perfect opportunity for him to show the league that he can buy into a role instead of demanding to be a featured star.
Christian Wood Doesn’t Think Coaches Have Hated Him
One of the key talking points behind Wood’s value plummeting in the league is the poor opinion Mavs’ head coach and Hall of Famer Jason Kidd has held of him. Wood subtly disputed that he’s been disliked by coaches, naming all his former coaches he’s still close with.
“Every coach that I talk to has loved me. I still talk to Silas and Casey and all those guys to this day—they root for me. Darvin Ham’s been rootin’ for me. He’s a guy that’s always been in my corner, rootin’ for me. So, I would say I have a lot to prove. This will probably be one of my most motivated seasons since being undrafted.”
A name that was clearly absent is Kidd, Wood’s most recent coach. Everyone knows the stories of how demanding Kidd can be as a coach. He expects a lot from his players and if they can’t deliver, they’re discarded.
Despite Wood’s strong numbers of 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, it’s clear Kidd values players who will buy into his style more than just talent.
Jason Kidd Took A Parting Shot At Christian Wood
One of the key talking points from the Mavericks’ side to explain their failures last season was that players didn’t buy into their roles and were being selfish. They have all been considered subtle shots at Wood, who had an acrimonious season with the Mavericks. Jason Kidd took a shot at Wood by talking about how the locker room has improved this season because players aren’t arguing over minutes anymore.
“Everybody’s excited. Everybody’s a winner right now. No one’s talking about the minutes that they’re not playing or the shots that they’re not getting. So everybody’s in a good mood.”
Wood may not have a big role on the Lakers, with a best-case role being the team’s primary sixth man as an offensive spark. But regardless of his role, Wood will circle games against the Mavericks on the calendar to try and show the franchise what they’re missing out on.
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