Lakers' Christian Wood Out at Least 8 Weeks After Undergoing Surgery on Knee Injury

The Los Angeles Lakers likely will not have big man Christian Wood available when they start their 2024-25 season on Oct. 22 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Lakers reporter Mike Trudell shared a medical update from the team Monday that said, "Christian Wood underwent a successful arthroscopic surgical procedure on his left knee today. The procedure was performed by Dr. Kristofer J. Jones at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Wood will be reevaluated by team doctors in approximately eight weeks."

Last season was Wood's first with the Lakers, and he was limited to 50 games in large part because he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in March. His final game came on Feb. 14 in a win over the Utah Jazz.

This latest setback is surely a difficult one for him considering he just said last month he was "coming back next season with a vengeance."

Wood has bounced around during an NBA career that started in 2015-16. He has played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Pelicans, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and Lakers.

Durability has largely prevented him from fully living up to his potential, as he has never played more than 68 games in a single season.

He was at his best from an individual production standpoint in his two campaigns with the Rockets in 2020-21 and 2021-22 when he averaged a combined 19.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 50.7 percent and 38.4 percent from deep.

Wood was unable to replicate those numbers in his first season with the Lakers as a secondary playmaker off the bench who averaged 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 30.7 percent from deep.

The 28-year-old can be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses with his ability to stretch the floor from deep and control the boards, but there hasn't been a significant role for him in the Purple and Gold's rotation.

Starting the new season injured won't help his chances to land a bigger role in 2024-25, but he should return to action relatively early in the season if the timeline holds.