Christian Wood

Despite a disappointing finish for the Mavericks, Wood was actually quite productive in his lone season with Dallas last year, averaging 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.6 made three-pointers in 26.0 minutes per game across 67 appearances (17 starts). Overall, the UNLV product posted 51.5/37.6/77.2 shooting splits. Across his 17 starts, Wood was even better, averaging 20.4 points (52/37/81), 9.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.3 blocks in 33.1 minutes per game. However, it was clear that his fit with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving wasn't going to get it down from a competitive standpoint, and head coach Jason Kidd didn't seem to trust Wood. After wearing out multiple welcomes around the Association, Wood had to wait until early September to land a new deal, joining the Lakers on a two-year, $5.7 million contract. The Lakers made a run to the Western Conference Finals last year on the backs of solid secondary performances from Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves. Plus, they've added Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince, Jaxson Hayes and now Wood this offseason, marking this an incredibly crowded rotation. Wood figures to compete with Hayes for a backup role behind Anthony Davis in the frontcourt, capable of playing both center and power forward. With that said, LeBron James and Davis will continue to run the show. With so many secondary and tertiary options, it's going to be difficult for anyone else to provide consistent fantasy value, even if they're playing well. It is worth mentioning that James and Davis have often been injured over the past few years and will likely have sporadic rest days throughout the year. When the superstars are sidelined, it'll open up more opportunities for Wood and others, though fantasy managers will have to be astute with their decisions on when to deploy them.