The Los Angeles Lakers have been very successful in maintaining balance and depth in their roster this offseason. That’s the reason why fans and experts consider the LA side among the favorites to win the title next season. Moreover, Rob Pelinka and his front office team have been building the roster from strength to strength since the last midseason trades. On the other hand, Anthony Davis asked the front office to look for a player like Christian Wood, who can play at the center alongside AD. The idea was to get some load off the eight-time All-Star.
If Anthony Davis stays healthy, he can play more than 60 games next season. And that might increase the chances for the Lakers to win the title. After all, last season proved that Anthony Davis leads the team in both defense as well as offense. But everybody knows how injury-prone the former New Orleans Pelicans forward can be. Hence, the signing of Christian Wood was a blessing in disguise for the Lakers. At least, that’s what they thought so far. However, the preseason games kind of raise doubts over the signing of Wood.
Why Signing Christian Wood Might Have Been A Bad Idea?
Moreover, Christian Wood has been bouncing around the NBA in recent times for some reason. On top of that, despite Wood’s value falling considerably, his last team refused to retain him. But why? Christian Wood has a pretty good average that should be enough for any team to eagerly sign him. However, in the preseason opener against the Golden State Warriors, Wood ended up with dismal numbers truly. He played most of that game as the go-to-guy for the Lakers in the offense. But he didn’t pass well and took it upon to himself to try and score.
Wood’s average showed 2-8 shooting 2-pointers and -16 while he was on the court. Moreover, he plays with an attitude like it’s one on five. Also, he complains a lot when decisions don’t go his way. There were certain assumptions regarding the attitude problem of Christian Wood. The Lakers knew all about it. But still, they went on with signing him because they needed a guy who could take some load off AD and LBJ. Now, the Lakers can only pray for Wood to improve as a teammate faster.
Lakers Want The James-Davis Duo To Stay Healthy And Play More Than 60 Games
But the main goal of the front office is to make things easier for LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The James-Davis duo are the backbone of the team. That has been their significance since they first came together in the 2019-20 season. Moreover, the two superstars even helped the Lakers win their 17th title in the 2020 bubble championship. However, things started to fall apart when the duo started to sustain more and more injuries.
Even LeBron James, who had always been a force of nature, missed a lot of games due to injuries. Clearly, Father Time was catching up with the all-time leading scorer. But Rob Pelinka and co. ensured the duo has far less workload next season. That’s the reason why the 17-time champions signed players like Christian Wood, Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish, and Taurean Prince.
