In the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, the Lakers fell behind 0-2 and their lives hung by a thread! However, they finally waited for the good news: according to NBA Hall of Famer Shams, Lakers center Wood will return in G3. According to ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin, Lakers forward Vanderbilt also plans to make a comeback in G3!
The Lakers and Nuggets' G3 will start at 10 a.m. Beijing time on April 26, with two days to go. Lakers coach Darvin Ham responded: "Wood is tall and has long arms, he can grab rebounds and open up space on the court. But before he plays, we have to do a physical check-up. Van der Biao has already participated in shooting training and is in good shape. ”
G1 Lakers mainly relied on Hachimura to defend Jokic, and G2 became the main defense of thick eyebrows, and in the fourth quarter, thick eyebrows' physical strength declined. After Wood and Vanderbilt returned, they were both able to top Jokic to help the thick eyebrows share the defensive pressure. But the Lakers shouldn't expect too much from them, after all, Wood and Vanderbilt haven't played in more than two months.
Van der Biao's last fight was back on Feb. 2, while Wood's was Feb. 15. Van Der Biao suffered a sprain in his right midfoot and Wood underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. It is worth mentioning that this is the first time in Wood's career that he has made the playoffs. Since entering the NBA in 2015, it has been 9 years, and Wood is still a "playoff debut".
Wood's current contract is two years and $5.75 million, with a salary of $2.71 million this season and a player option of $3.04 million next season. This season, Wood played 50 regular season games for the Lakers, averaging 17.4 minutes per game, scoring 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1 assist, 0.7 steals and 1 turnover, shooting 46.6%, 30.7% and 70.2% from three.
With Wood's stats and performances this season, he will only be able to get a base salary contract next season, unless Wood can play in the playoffs. Wood averaged 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game with the Mavericks last season, and this season his scoring plummeted by 9.7 points, ranking first in the league. Wood's overall plus/minus this season is +3, ranking 8th on the Lakers!
Van der Biao has been plagued by injuries and missed 20 consecutive games with left heel bursitis at the start of the season, before suffering a back injury and a sprained right midfoot. Van Der Biao played in just 29 regular-season games this season, averaging 20.1 minutes per game, scoring 5.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 51.8 percent, 29.6 percent and 66.7 percent from three.
In the 2023 offseason, the Lakers signed Van der Biao to a four-year, $48 million extension, and his salary this season is $17 million. At the trade deadline this season, the Lakers did not move, just to wait for Van der Biao and Vincent to return, and the Lakers hoped that they could help the team reach the Western Conference Finals, but they didn't expect to meet the Nuggets in the first round.
Although Van der Biao has only played 29 games, he has a total plus/minus of +43, which ranks sixth on the Lakers. Van der Biao's role on the defensive end is clear, and he is better suited to defend center than Hachimura and Hayes. However, last year, the Lakers were swept by the Nuggets, and Van Debiao only played 3 games, scoring a total of 6 points and 4 rebounds, and making a total of 1 of 0 three-pointers.
Final question: How much do you think Van der Biao and Wood can bring to the Lakers?