Christian Wood delivers a stern message after Lakers face criticism for not retooling around LeBron James
Los Angeles Lakers center/forward Christian Wood delivered a stern message to the fans on Saturday. Wood took to Instagram to tell everyone to watch out for him in the upcoming 2024-25 NBA season after recovering from a knee injury.
"I'm back yall ..and I'm coming back next season with a vengeance," Wood wrote on his Instagram story.
Wood's message comes at a time when the Lakers' front office is facing criticism from fans for not making a major trade to upgrade the roster around LeBron James, who is still playing at an elite level.
The Lakers have yet to add any major pieces this offseason and appear poised to start the next season with nearly the same group of players that represented the franchise last year.
Wood, who signed a two-year contract with the Lakers in free agency ahead of the 2023-24 season, exercised his $3 million player option for the upcoming season.
The former Dallas Mavericks star missed the second half of the season due to a knee injury, for which he underwent surgery in March of this year.
The 28-year-old played 50 games (49 off the bench) last season and averaged 17.4 minutes and 6.9 points per game. He shot 46.6% from the field, including 30.7% from the 3-point range. He also averaged 5.1 rebounds and one assist per game.
Wood and the Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the 2024 playoffs after losing in five games against the Denver Nuggets. After the season concluded, Wood took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and shared his sentiment.
"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," the Lakers' role player had said.
It will be interesting to see how the Lakers' new coach JJ Redick uses Christian Wood, who has the ability to stretch the floor and knock down jump shots from beyond the arc. The 28-year-old is a career 37.2% shooter from 3-point range and will be looking to reach the same mark, if not better, in the upcoming season.
Christian Wood fails to live up to expectations in debut Lakers season
Christian Wood endured a disappointing season with the Lakers last year after arriving in "Tinseltown" with a certain degree of expectations.
Wood was terrific for the Dallas Mavericks in the 2022-23 season. The former UNLV star averaged 16.6 points on 51.5% from the field, including 37.6% from the 3-point range. He also averaged 7.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 blocks after playing 67 games.
Wood failed to translate the same performance for the Lakers and his numbers saw a significant drop across the board. The Lakers' faithful will hope for an improved showing from the gifted offensive player.