Injured Lakers Big Man Looks to Be Inching Closer to Return

Ricardo Sandoval | 4 Hours Ago

Dec 2, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Christian Wood (35) and forward Jarred Vanderbilt (2) play for the rebound against Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers could be getting back their vital frontcourt player soon.

Lakers center Christian Wood was seen doing stationary shooting on the side at shootaround on Saturday prior to their game against the Denver Nuggets.

Jovan Buha of The Athletic shared via Twitter/X.

Christian Wood doing stationary shooting on the side at shootaround pic.twitter.com/ynkF1jnHpe

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) November 23, 2024

Wood was off to the side, shooting from the baseline from about three-point range. Wood has not played this season as he is recovering from an arthroscopic surgical procedure on his left knee.

There is no timetable for his return yet.

Wood was initially scheduled to be re-evaluated in eight weeks, but that was at the beginning of September. However, about a week ago, we learned that Wood will be out for at least another four weeks due to soreness in his left knee during his return-to-play progression.

Wood was nearing his re-evaluation date following an arthroscopic procedure in early September, but the big man isn't close to returning to game action. 

The Lakers are already thin in the frontcourt positions, and Wood's absence does not help at all.

Wood signed with the team last offseason and was supposed to be a piece to ignite the bench and provide some offensive and defensive help alongside Lakes superstar Anthony Davis.

Instead, he was inconsistent as he played some nights and some nights he didn't. In 50 games last season, he averaged 6.9 points per game, 5.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 0,7 blocks in 17.4 minutes of action. Wood shot 46 percent from the field and 30 percent from three, which was the worst in his career. He started one game for L.A.

In his career, Wood has averaged 13.6 points per game, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while shooting 51 percent from the field and 37 percent from three. Wood has played with eight teams, including the Lakers, dating back to the 2015-16 season when he went undrafted.

The 29-year-old is a Long Beach native and has had a long, tumultuous journey in the NBA. His time with the Lakers was supposed to be a resurgence; instead, he has struggled to stay on the court, and it was not what L.A. expected when he was on the court.

It's unclear how long Wood will be out, but one thing is clear: the Lakers desperately need him back on the court even though they are actively looking for another big man in the trade market.

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