Lakers News: Columnist Wonders If Christian Wood Can Truly Elevate LA

One of the last free agents to sign this summer was center Christian Wood, and when he landed with the Los Angeles Lakers, it was generally seen as a positive. Wood brings shooting ability to the table, and he is a natural scorer of the basketball.

LA signed him for the minimum, which is a steal for his skillset. But the reason why he was still available has some wondering just how effective he will be with the Lakers.

Dan Woike of The LA Times broke down some of the concerns that led to Wood being available so late into the offseason.

“With Wood, there are questions about his ability to function in a team defense — questions that didn’t get answered in a positive way last season when he played for Dallas — and about his willingness to accept his role, with people seeing a gap between what Wood’s best use would be and what Wood would view as the best use of his talents.”

Per Dan Woike of The LA Times

Wood has dealt with some effort issues during previous stops in other places, and some teams were skeptical about signing him. But the Lakers believe that they have the core in place to get Wood to really buy in, and contribute to a championship-contending team.

He has a familiarity with both Anthony Davis and head coach Darvin Ham, so they believe that will play a role in things. Wood also knows that his reputation has sent his value around the league into the gutter, so he needs to get that back up.

“The risk? That’s a no-brainer too. Locker-room and on-court chemistry are delicate, and Wood could disrupt it. But with his cheap contract, usable skills and loads of motivation, the Lakers viewed it as a risk worth taking, capping their offseason with the top player still on the board.”

Per Dan Woike of The LA Times

Wood will be given significant minutes this year, as the team wants to incorporate him into the system. He brings a new element to the table that they haven’t had in some time.

This is a low-risk, potentially very high-reward signing for the Lakers. Wood makes them better as a whole, and the gives them another scoring option to play alongside their star players. He should be able to help them compete for another title while boosting his value around the league.

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