Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Los Angeles Lakers big man Christian Wood found himself on the wrong side of a posterizing dunk by Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Their teams faced off on October 15, a Bucks win. Antetokounmpo posted an image of the dunk on Instagram, tagging his former teammate in the post.
Wood responded by saying he has their regular-season meeting circled on his calendar.
“I love it,” Wood said in the comments of an Instagram post by NBA on ESPN on October 16. “I’ll see him during the season just circled the game on my calendar.”
Christian Wood responds to Giannis 💨
“Just circled the game on my calendar”
👀🍿
Antetokounmpo finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, two blocks, and one assist. The two teams will first meet on March 8 in Los Angeles. They will face off again on March 26 in Milwaukee.
Christian Wood Draws First Start of Preseason
Wood drew his first start for the Lakers who were resting several players ahead of what head coach Darvin Ham said would be a dress rehearsal for “three quarters” in the preseason finale. The Lakers’ big man struggled from the floor, scoring three points on 1-for-6 shooting with four rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 23-plus minutes.
He also finished with the lowest plus-minus of any of the starters.
Wood also went 1-for-3 from beyond the arc, committed two personal fouls, and turned the ball over twice.
After an extended stay in free agency, Wood signed a two-year, $5.7 million contract with the Lakers to help reduce the need to play Anthony Davis at center during the regular season. But his ability to play alongside Davis is also a plus.
Christian Wood | Handles
What makes Wood such a walking mismatch for other Forwards/Bigs is his ability to handle the rock and put the ball on the floor.
Combine that w/ his soft touch, strength, & skilled finishing ability-
And that’s a tough cover for any player.
The good news for the Lakers is that very little from the preseason tends to translate to the regular season. Wood is averaging 7.8 points on 45.5% shooting overall (25% 3P) with 4.4 rebounds through five games this preseason. Wood is not a consistently strong defender making it difficult to play him if he isn’t scoring efficiently.
Lakers HC Defends Christian Wood Signing
Ham is certainly expecting the best out of Wood despite the uncertainty around his situation in Dallas deteriorating despite their need for a center. He worked with Wood in Milwaukee when the latter was there for a portion of the 2018-19 season.
“I don’t know what happened in Dallas and that’s not my business,” Ham said, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape on October 13. “I don’t know. People say s—. ‘He’s lazy. He doesn’t play any defense.’ I know the kid. I know what he’s going to do for me and he’s done everything that I expected him to do up to this point since camp has been going on.”
It’s also encouraging that Wood has comfort starting or coming off the bench with 150 of his 189 appearances coming as a reserve.
It bolsters Ham’s claims of the Lakers boasting championship-caliber depth.
Wood is one piece of a highly acclaimed offseason for the Lakers. They are trying to get back to the NBA Finals for banner No. 17. And they expect him to be a part of that so his fit in the starting lineup and off the bench are both key.