Following a rough game 1 in Denver, the Los Angeles Lakers received some promising news on the injury front. Forward/Center Christian Wood is scheduled to return in game 3 of the First Round of the Western Conference Playoffs on Wednesday. Wood has been out for more than two months following a knee injury he suffered on February 14 against the Utah Jazz.
Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach Darvin Ham was coy about the return of the big man when he addressed the media on Sunday:
“All I’ll say is he’s still going through his recovery process from injury, his rehab process. Obviously, he has size, he has length, he has rebounding capabilities, he can stretch the floor. But first and foremost, he has a couple more boxes to check before we even consider that.”
Wood averaged 6.9 points per game and 5.1 boards this season with the Los Angeles Lakers. How will he fit in during this first round series?
Christian Wood Career Summary
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Wood made his NBA debut in 2015 with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2015 out of UNLV. The big man then had stints with the Charlotte Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Pelicans, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, and Dallas Mavericks. Wood signed a two-year $5.7 million contract with the Lakers during the 2023 NBA Offseason.
Wood is a career 13.6 point-per-game scorer, along with seven boards and nearly a block per game.
What Type Of Role Will Wood Have Once He Is Cleared To Return
The Los Angeles Lakers saw their season take off once Wood went down with his injury. The team went 18-10 since he went down including the Play-In Tournament. Wood is primarily an offensive player and would have no answer against two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. He had 32 points, 12 boards, and seven assists in game 1.
The Lakers struggled to generate offense during long stretches of game 1, and Wood could provide a boost on that side of the floor.
Wood saw his playing time diminish even before his injury as Ham turned to a rotation that included starting Center Anthony Davis and reserve Center Jaxson Hayes. It is unknown how large of a role Wood will have, if any, once he is officially cleared to return to the lineup.
First Round Series To Be An Uphill Battle For The Los Angeles Lakers
With the Lakers 114-103 loss on the road on Saturday, they lost for the ninth consecutive time to the defending champions. The Denver Nuggets also swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals last season on the way to their first title in franchise history. Los Angeles got off to a strong start in game 1, outscoring the Nuggets by eight points in the first quarter. The Lakers would go on to be outscored by 19 points over the game’s final three quarters.
Denver destroyed Los Angeles on the offensive boards in game 1 and had an advantage in second-chance points of 18-8. This is something that Wood would be able to help with providing the Los Angeles Lakers with another skilled rebounder to limit the possessions of the Denver Nuggets.
The Lakers look to tie this series up at 1 on Monday in Denver and put an end to the Denver Nuggets complete domination over them.
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Justin has always loved sports. He has previously written for Sports Illustrated and 247Sports. Check out all the great content Total Apex Sports has to offer. Check us out on X @TotalApexSports and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports
