Christian Wood offers most promising update possible about 2024-25 season

Rewind the clocks a year and the Los Angeles Lakers made something out of nothing during the 2023 offseason. Despite having limited flexibility, Los Angeles added postseason standout Gabe Vincent on a three-year deal and somehow landed Sixth Man of the Year candidate Christian Wood for the minimum.

Unfortunately, injuries derailed both players' first season in Los Angeles—a fact that hid one of the fatal flaws of strategy that the coaching staff uneviled in 2023-24.

When Wood signed with the Lakers, most expected the second unit to have found its offensive focal point. Instead, defense became the exclusive priority, and the offensive skill set that made the signing so enticing became something of an afterthought.

During his appearance at Media Day, Wood explained what Lakers fans can expect to see from him under a different coaching staff—and how he'll play more like himself again.

"In terms of what my role is, he told me last year it was asked of me to play defense and rebound. They didn't really need me to score or attack mismatches as much. This year, he tells me he wants me to play like I was in Houston and Dallas. Attack mismatches, shoot a lot of threes. If I have a bigger guy on me, try to take him off the dribble. If I have a smaller guy on me, then post up. When I come back, try and play around Anthony Davis for the floor spacing."

That's a refreshing update on how Wood will be utilized in 2024-25, as Los Angeles plans to highlight his strengths instead of asking him to be an entirely different player.

JJ Redick has asked Christian Wood to play like Christian Wood again

Wood missed 32 games due to injury in 2023-24, but even when he was healthy, something seemed off. He played by far his fewest minutes per game since 2018-19 at 17.4, and saw a sharp decline in efficiency across the board.

It's now come to light that Wood was asked to focus less on what made him an attractive player and more on what the team needed—a fair, but perhaps misguided request.

The end result was Wood averaging 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 0.8 offensive boards, 1.0 assist, 0.7 blocks, and 0.7 three-point field goals made per game on .466/.307/.702 shooting. That translated to 14.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.6 offensive boards, 2.0 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 three-point field goals made per 36 minutes.

For perspective: Between 2018-19 and 2022-23, Wood averaged 22.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.1 offensive boards, 2.2 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 2.0 three-point field goals made per 36 minutes on .520/.381/.694 shooting.

In 2024-25, Wood projects to return to the form that helped him finish in the top 10 in Sixth Man of the Year voting in both 2019-20 and 2022-23. Defense will still be a priority, but it won't come at the expense of the offensive skill set that makes him uniquely qualified to lead the Lakers' second unit.

For perspective: Los Angeles' bench ranked No. 27 in the NBA in offensive rating last season, and while a healthy Vincent should help, Wood is the most productive scorer on the second unit.

Under Redick, expect Wood to return to his efficient and high-volume three-point shooting ways. He'll space the floor for Davis to post up, exploit mismatches against smaller players in the post and taller defenders in open space, and contribute to the shift toward prioritizing offensive rebounding.

Wood may be signed to a minimum contract, but the Lakers are finally going to utilize him in a way that accentuates rather than dismisses his skill set in 2024-25.