Christian Wood set to return to the Los Angeles Lakers

Christian Wood had an up-and-down first season as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. The eighth-year big man was in and out of the rotation before a left knee injury ended his season prematurely. He is set to return to the organization after exercising his $3 million player option for the 2024-25 season. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported the news, tweeting:

Los Angeles Lakers forward Christian Wood has exercised his $3 million player option for the 2024–25 season, league sources told @hoopshype. Wood appeared in 50 games for the Lakers and averaged 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game. pic.twitter.com/QJZEJxcjld

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) May 7, 2024

Wood suffered an injury to his left knee on February 14th. He initially appeared in line to rehab the injury, however, he ultimately underwent a successful arthroscopic surgery on March 19th. While he was cleared to return ahead of Game 4 of the postseason, he did not see the floor.

His return comes just days after the firing of head coach Darvin Ham. Shortly after the announcement was made, Wood took to social media to hint that he would return to the Lakers.

Loved my first year playing for my Hometown team, I Wish I wasn’t hurt majority of the season, But all in all it was a dream come True for me.. I will be better and 100% healthy next season .

— 35 (@Chriswood_5) May 3, 2024

How did Christian Wood perform in 2023-24?

In his first season with the Lakers, Christian Wood appeared in 50 games. His role fluctuated even when he was healthy, however, as he averaged just 17.4 minutes per game. It marked his least playing time since the 2018-19 season when he appeared in just 21 games.

The veteran big man averaged 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.3 steals and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 46.6% from the field, 30.7% from three-point range and 70.2% from the free-throw line. He finished the season with his fewest points per game and worst shooting percentage since the 2016-17 season. Wood will look to bounce back under a different coaching staff next season.

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