Dallas Mavs' Jason Kidd Speaks on Christian Wood's Fit on Los Angeles Lakers: 'He Understands the Game'
LOS ANGELES — Christian Wood spent only one season with the Dallas Mavericks after being acquired in a trade with the Houston Rockets before the 2022 NBA Draft. He departed in free agency to sign a two-year, $5.7 contract with a player option with the Los Angeles Lakers.
During his season with the Mavs last year, Wood averaged 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 25.9 minutes per game after 67 performances. He was often utilized in a sixth-man role to be an offensive spark off the bench but saw his playing time diminished around the NBA trade deadline following the arrival of Kyrie Irving.
Wood signed with the Lakers to help a team that made the Western Conference Finals just a season ago achieve another successful playoff run. He's averaged 6.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 16 games as he acclimates to his new team.
Los Angeles Lakers' Christian Wood against the Dallas Mavericks.
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Before the Mavs' 104-101 victory over the Lakers, coach Jason Kidd highlighted Wood's talent, particularly as a scorer, focusing on how difficult it can be to adjust to a new role on a different team.
'"Yeah, not just C Wood, he is a very talented player — underrated defensively, but offensively, he can score the ball with the best of them," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. "Throughout the league, sometimes we're not happy with the role that we're asked to do, and it's hard, especially when you have that skill set of being able to score the way that he can."
Kidd highlighted the Lakers' many scoring options, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis being the top options, making it essential for the rest of the rotation to provide value by doing the dirty work or little things required to win.
"When you look at their team, they have a lot of guys that can score, but who understand it best are the ones that will do the little things, even if it might not show up in the box score," Kidd said. "Understanding it's about winning, and so what he's going through, he'll get there."
With it being early in the season, Kidd mentioned it takes time to adjust to a new role, such as Wood's situation with the Lakers. In the long-term, Kidd is confident that Wood will find a rhythm in Los Angeles, with the ability to "flat out score" being an integral element of how he does it.
"He understands how to play the game, but it takes time. And I think we're 14 games into this," Kidd said. "I think he'll be fine in his role with what the Lakers are asking to do, but he can flat-out score the ball for sure."
Wood finished his performance against the Mavs with one point, five rebounds, and one assist in 15 minutes. The next time the Lakers will face Dallas is Dec. 12, when the two teams compete at American Airlines Center.
