Christian Wood offers message of hope after surgery: ‘To my fans, don’t stop believing in me’

Los Angeles Lakers big man Christian Wood shared a message on social media after it was reported that he underwent surgery on his knee.

It’s certainly a tough blow for Wood, who missed the end of the 2023-24 season due to the same knee. Wood did not appear in a game for the Lakers after Feb. 14.

According to NBA insider Shams Charania, the Lakers big man is expected to miss at least two months with the injury.

Last season, Wood appeared in 50 games for the Lakers and made one start. He averaged 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 30.7 percent from 3-point range.

A better outside shooter than fellow big man Jaxson Hayes, Wood offers the Lakers a different look in the frontcourt alongside star Anthony Davis. Unfortunately, it appears Los Angeles will need to prepare to open the season without Wood as an option.

Hayes likely will see the majority of minutes behind Davis at the center spot to open the 2024-25 campaign. Last season, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft appeared in 70 games for the Lakers and made five starts.

He only averaged 4.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.4 blocks per game and played a small role – just 12.5 minutes per game. He was efficient when he shot the ball, shooting 72.0 percent from the field.

Wood’s injury adds an interesting challenge for new Lakers head coach J.J. Redick in his first season. It’s possible that he could try different combinations of Jarred Vanderbilt, LeBron James and Rui Hachimura in the frontcourt alongside Davis and Hayes.

However, Vanderbilt may be unlikely to play a lot of time with Hayes since both players aren’t major threats from beyond the arc. With Wood – a career 37.2-percent shooter from deep – playing Vanderbilt at the small forward or power forward spot makes a little more sense.

After losing in the first round of the playoffs last season, the Lakers are hoping to avoid the play-in tournament and get a higher seed in the Western Conference in the 2024-25 campaign.

Now that Wood is likely out for at least the start of the season, Los Angeles will face a bit of a challenge early to get off to a hot start.