"But Ham wouldn't play him": Lakers fans slam Darvin Ham for snubbing Christian Wood despite LA's +23.7 alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis

Christian Wood will be one of the LA Lakers players returning to the fold this upcoming season. The center signed a two-year, $5.7 million contract with the Purple and Gold ahead of last season and was considered the reserve backup behind Anthony Davis. Another reason for the acquisition was his ability to contribute to the offense. However, Wood fell out of former coach Darvin Ham's rotation and appeared in just 50 games in 2023.

As the offseason progresses, Lakers insider Trevor Lane highlighted that the side was +23.7 on the floor when Wood played alongside Davis and LeBron James. This saw fans come to the big's defense and also criticize Ham for his questionable combinations.

One fan was blunt enough to put it out there.

"But Ham wouldn’t play him," said @ArteagaJr.

Ham would rather run 3 guard lineups," @LeGoatBurner23 seconded the theory.

"Christian Wood is a good rebounder, a good shooter for his position, and offers 4/5 versatility. For whatever he’s not, that’s still the exact type of big you’d want to pair with AD. Very good value on a minimum deal." @kingzero tweeted.

Another fan, @jimmy, believed the front office was responsible for Wood's lack of playing time last season:

"We know of the incompetence of Darvin Ham, but how does the entire Lakers organization not bring this stat up once to him when he was figuring out the lineups??"

"So sad that Ham didn’t use him in the last 2 games vs Denver. Could’ve made a huge impact," @PurpGolded said.

"And people think he should be behind jaxson hayes," @roachdawggjr said.

Wood averaged 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds last season for the Lakers before an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee cut his time short. He is with the franchise for one more year after exercising his player option for the upcoming season for $3 million.

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Christian Wood sounds warning gong ahead of 2024-25 NBA edition

Christian Wood issued an alert on Instagram earlier this month that he is coming for a breakout season. The 28-year-old didn't have the most ideal start with the LA Lakers, but seems determined to make a comeback:

"I'm back y'all.. and I am coming back next season with a vengeance"

Wood has displayed his skill set as a two-way force. His 19.1 points per game 2021-22 season with the Houston Rockets saw his stocks rise, leading to his acquisition by the Dallas Mavericks. Under Jason Kidd, he came off the bench to average 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest in 2022-23.

Now, with the Lakers looking to add another big alongside Davis, it remains to be seen whether JJ Redick will deploy more of Christian Wood on the floor this season.