The Los Angeles Lakers are still in search of a center as the offseason goes on. Behind star Anthony Davis, the squad is a little undermanned, so they’ve been looking to bring in another big man.
In order to cover for Davis, they did sign former New Orleans Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes, but the team wants more depth. Davis cannot be used by LA as their sole frontcourt option, as they did in the playoffs.
In the playoffs, the team suffered every time Davis left the court because they lacked a replacement. Therefore, it’s imperative that the front office hires a replacement at least for the regular season.
Can Christian Wood be the answer to the problem Lakers face?
Center Christian Wood is one name that has been mentioned a lot lately. Wood, who played for the Dallas Mavericks in the previous season, would bring some great offence to the table. He wouldn’t go without a fight, though.
Lakers don’t have to look further than the performance of Wood against them as shown below:
He plays terrible defense, and occasionally many have questioned his effort. The concept appears to be strongly opposed by one Bleacher Report contributor. Even at slightly more than the veteran minimum, Erik Beaston doesn’t think the Lakers should sign Wood.
What do the pundits think about a possible move?
Erik Beaston of Bleacher Report elaborated on why Lakers should stay away from Wood. He elaborated on it by saying how Wood’s defensive frailties would cost any team that looks to challenge for something substantial :
“Any big man is going to be counted on to contribute defensively and in Dallas, he struggled mightily. He struggled to stretch the floor and oftentimes looked lost. Some of that can be attributed to the coaching of Jason Kidd and his failure to put him in a position to succeed but beyond that, Wood did not look like the player he was over the two seasons prior, when he played his best ball with Houston.”
For the Lakers, signing Wood to such a secure contract would be a great deal. He would still be superior to anyone else currently available, even with his flaws. Additionally, having Anthony Davis, an All-Star defender, beside him may help him play better defense.
Adding Wood as the final piece to the Lakers roster carries no risk. When Davis is on the bench, LA might have a reliable scoring option just from his offence, which could help spread the floor.