The stories surrounding the NBA make us understand how difficult it is to win a championship. LeBron James stands tall as one name to embrace that challenge year after year as he eyes his 5th ring. Right before that, a 4x NBA champion questioned the mindset of his newest Los Angeles Lakers teammate, Christian Wood.
The franchise signed their latest star with the hopes of helping James fulfill his dream. So, the comments from a serial winner raised the eyebrows of many as a new season quickly approaches.
What did the 4-time champion say?
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Andre Iguodala talked about a certain category of NBA players in a recent podcast with JJ Redick. The former Golden State Warriors star mentioned how a group of athletes let complacency kick in soon after stepping into the league. Interestingly, he added the Lakers’ newest acquisition to that list.
While discussing scouting and player identification. Iggy put importance on asking, “What makes you go? Why do you play the game?”.?He believed numerous players were “Athletic, can shoot, can handle the point, make shots, like great player”. But according to the 39-year-old, there was something “missing” in many of them. Those competitors were “just happy to be here”?for making it to the NBA. “Championship is not that important to me“, eventually became their mantra as they approached their day-to-day business. Thus, the former forward emphasized,?“We don’t want him on our team but he is good enough to be here”.
He later added,?“People say that About Christian Wood”, hinting that he was basing the judgment on others’ opinions on the 27-year-old. Andre throwing this statement right before the start of a new campaign added a different complexion. One question took precedence over everyone’s minds.
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Can Christian Wood and LeBron James prove the doubters wrong?
Wood was reportedly eligible to sign a 4-year $77 million extension with the Dallas Mavericks. But the Mavs went the other way as the LA side landed him in a 2-year $5.7 million deal. The 6’9 giant has shown his prowess time and again coming off the bench but lacked a lethal edge to his game.
Despite averaging 16.6-1.8-7.3 last season, the center started in only 17 regular season matches. It displays his ability to change the game instantaneously but at the same time, puts forward a certain lack of trust. So, no matter how harsh Iguodala’s words may sound, they carried facts in it. Now the ball is entirely on LeBron James and co.’s park. The team wanted someone with Christian’s profile on their roster. But will his mentality turn out to become an obstacle? Let us know in the comments.
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