Lakers Reveal Christian Wood Surgery, To Miss Significant Time

The season is still about six weeks away and the Los Angeles Lakers have already been dealt a tough blow, as forward Christian Wood has now undergone surgery and will be out for at least two months.

Lakers say Christian Wood underwent surgery on his left knee and will be re-evaluated in eight weeks.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 9, 2024

Why he waited until just three weeks before training camp opens is unclear, but Wood won't be re-evaluated for eight weeks, which means he won't be close to returning, even if all goes well, until mid-November, about a month into the season.

The 29-year-old (as of later this month) had an arthroscopic surgical procedure on his left knee on Monday for the second time this year; he had one back in March and missed the last two months of last season.

Wood had a challenging first year as a Laker, watching his point production drop by about 10 points per game, from 16.6 points with the Dallas Mavericks in 2022-23, to just 6.9 points with the Lakers last season. His minutes dropped significantly as well, by almost nine per game, to just 17.4.

This summer, Wood picked up his $3 million player option for the coming season. The player himself posted a message to his fans that he hopes for a big comeback year... when he's ready to come back.

Damn.. I was just feeling like my old self again and was in peak shape … Minor setback for a Major comeback, and to my fans, don’t stop believing in me ..🙏🏽
— 35 (@Chriswood_5) September 9, 2024