Christian Wood has to be examined again in 8 weeks after knee surgery

The Los Angeles Lakers announced that forward/center Christian Wood underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Monday. The procedure was performed by Dr. Kristofer J. Jones at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Wood will be re-evaluated by team physicians in approximately eight weeks.

It's the same knee that Wood injured in the second half of last season, forcing him to miss several games, including the playoffs. He underwent arthroscopic surgery in March and hoped to be fit for the start of this season.

That's obviously not the case, as Wood is now in danger of missing opening night on Oct. 22 against the Minnesota Timberwolves and perhaps a few more games. It's unclear if he suffered a setback in training or if he simply didn't progress as well as hoped and needed another surgery.

Either way, it's not ideal for the Lakers, who are relying on their health to make improvements this season after not making any roster moves over the summer. Also, Jarred Vanderbilt may not be ready to start the season yet as he is still recovering from a foot injury.

Wood was viewed as a nice addition to LA last offseason. He had several suitors in free agency, so the Lakers gave him a player option for 2024-25 so he could select it.

However, his first season with the Lakers did not go as well as hoped, as Woods' statistics dropped drastically. After averaging 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds with the Dallas Mavericks the previous season, the 28-year-old averaged just 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 50 games for the Lakers.

Wood was in and out of action for most of the season and then missed the end of the season due to his injury.

The backup center position is arguably the biggest question mark for the Lakers entering the year, so if Wood were to miss some time, it would be a major loss.

While Wood doesn't have the ideal size for a center, his ability to space the court and grab rebounds makes him a good complement to Anthony Davis in the frontcourt. While Wood is out, Jaxson Hayes should get time as a backup center.

Christian Wood vowed to stay healthy for the Lakers in the 2024/25 season

How much Christian Wood can contribute to the Lakers depends on his health. After ending last season with a knee injury, Wood vowed to stay healthy for LA this year, which is already evidently not going to happen.

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