Los Angeles Lakers forward Christian Wood underwent knee surgery earlier this month, his second such surgery within six months. Wood said Monday at the Lakers media day that he is planning to ramp up his rehabilitation from knee surgery in two weeks, and he will need another two weeks after that before he is ready to return, via Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
Wood has been dealing with a knee issue for much of the year. He has not played since Feb. 14, causing him to miss the final two months of the 2023-24 season. Wood underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in March, before undergoing another arthroscopic knee surgery in September.
The Lakers’ season opener takes place on Oct. 22, when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers do have six preseason games before their regular season opener, which Wood will be expected to miss given his current timeline. Since the Lakers’ first game is about three weeks away, and Wood will likely need at least four weeks before he returns, he should be expected to miss the first few games of the season.
During the 2023-24 season, Wood played in just 50 games for the Lakers with one start. He averaged 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assist per game while playing an average of 17.4 minutes per game.
While the injury certainly affected Wood, it was actually his worst season statistically in years. Wood did see less playing time on the Lakers, but has previously averaged at least 13 points per game in each of the five seasons prior. In 2020-21, he even averaged 21 points per game for the Houston Rockets.
Wood is determined to rebound from last season this year. In August, Wood posted on his social media that he’s “coming back next season with a vengeance.”
Wood signed with the Lakers in Sep. 2023, joining his eighth NBA team. Despite being limited because of a knee injury, Wood remained with the Lakers for the upcoming season by taking up his $3 million player option. Before he joined Los Angeles, Wood played for the Dallas Mavericks, Rockets, Detroit Pistons, New Orleans Pelicans, Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Hornets, and Philadelphia 76ers.
