Ranked # 3 in the ESPN ranking of the most interesting free agents of the offseason, Christian Wood had a most tortuous journey before achieving success in the NBA.
Collapsed after not being drafted in 2015 when he left UNLV because he did not have the reputation of being a hard worker, Wood had to take side roads before being able to reach the highlands. The boy must have been at the stake more often than in his turn… to finally sign a big contract in the months to come?
Four years between the NBA and the G-League …
In this case, Wood spent his first four professional seasons alternating between the G-League and the NBA. In fact, first signed by the Sixers after a summer league with the Rockets, Wood will rather attend the Delaware 87ers than Philly and the Sixers.
And it will be the same the following year, between the Charlotte Hornets and the Greensboro Swarm. Then again in 2018-19 with the Bucks and Wisconsin Herd, and this after a full year with the Delaware 87ers… All the while, Wood is still doing the job, dropping from 17 points, 9 rebounds in his first season to 19 points and 10 rebounds the second and 23 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists in the third.
In 2019, Wood is rewarded for his patience. After having panicked the counters at 29 points, 14 rebounds and 2 assists with the Herd, he finally has his chance on the side of New Orleans. Anthony Davis on the start and Nikola Mirotic already gone (in Milwaukee precisely), Wood was able to get playing time in Louisiana at the end of the season in freewheeling.
In his second game, he accumulated 23 points and 9 rebounds and did even better for his third outing with 25 points and 9 rebounds. Author of 17 points and 7 rebounds on average (over 8 games) under the Pelicans tunic, Wood has finally won his sesame to the NBA.
“Sometimes you have to know how to create your own opportunities”, Alvin Gentry said last December. “One of the ways to do it is to show your technical level and the teams will see it and give you an opportunity to shine. Some players need to move a few times before they understand how it works. We liked him when he was with us. We obviously saw that he had talent but he still needed time to win and know what it is to be a true pro. I think he’s at this point now. “
An ideal position 4 for the “small ball”
After four years of having to go back and forth in the lobby of the NBA, Christian Wood is offered a chance with the Pistons… and again!
He must wait until the very end of training camp for the staff to lean in his favor rather than the veteran Joe Johnson, then injured. Detroit simply takes over the contract Wood already signed at NOLA (to the tune of $ 1.6 million per season).
“I’m still on an unsecured contract,” Wood explained to the Free Press at the time. “I want to get paid. My goal is to play and give myself 100%, like I did before. It’s not going to stop now. “
It will be again by picking up the crumbs, by taking advantage of Andre Drummond’s departure for Cleveland, that Wood will pass a new course. Over the last 15 games of the Pistons’ season (therefore bubble-free), Wood averaged 22 points and more than 9 rebounds in 34 minutes of play (all at 56% success on shots, including an excellent 41% at 3-points for an interior).
In an article for NBA Canada, we see in particular that Wood is finally just as efficient, if not even better, than the Sixth Man of the Year, Montrezl Harrell. A good rebounder and protector of the circle, Wood has found the key to his game by constantly improving his outside shot and clearing his defensive slag (between inattention and poor placement).
Capable of finishing just as well close to the hoop on pick & roll or outside on pick & pop, Wood is the ideal interior for modern play. In addition, at 25, he is just entering his best basketball years with a journey that inevitably taught him humility and hard work.
“I play in Detroit, so I have to bring this grinta from Detroit and I have to bring it to every game,” Wood said last March. “I did it the last time we met and I will continue to do so in every game I play. “
The latest hurdle was taking the Dwane Casey test in Detroit. Unhappy with his defensive performances at the start of the season, Coach Casey put Wood back on the bench and the latter understood the message. He finished the season in a cannonball, as we have already mentioned, but above all he changed his mentality, showing himself much more aggressive, offensively of course, but also defensively.
“The thing he needs the most is maturity, understanding life,” Coach Casey said this season. “But he hasn’t had a problem this year either. “
Towards a 10 million contract per season
A light hair in the racket with his 98kg (for 2m08), Wood has the speed and the height to punish the beefier pivots, and he has apparently acquired the necessary hardness to take the shock in the face of most interiors of the League. But he clearly cannot stand up to the Embiid, Jokic or even Davis who are far too powerful for him …
Capable of big dunks at the end of the system, Wood has also shown this season that he is even able to land several safe dribbles before finishing his actions himself with both hands in the hoop. In the same vein of ideas, Wood can quite relieve his leader in the organization of the game, by making good transitions to the pass or by initiating the attack himself from a high post.
via GIPHY
“He’s really good,” enthuses Bruce Brown. “He’s very slender, and he dunks anything sent to him near the circle.” I try to find him as soon as I want an assist because I know he will send. “
For the first time in a long time, the Pistons finally have some financial leeway, with $ 30 million in “cap space”. According to some estimates and his production in full rise last year (but that’s still a small sample), Wood could get a salary close to 10 million a season, which would amount to the “midlevel exception”.
According to former NBA GM John Hollinger, the Pistons should stop at the 15 or 16 million mark maximum because we should not make Wood an untouchable in a possible future transfer. Because, very difficult to know if Wood will rest on his laurels once this contract is signed or if he will continue to progress and, why not, reach an All Star level.
“It will be difficult because the 30 teams in the League are following me. I have to stay focused on my goals, play hard and try to win games for the team. When the time comes, we’ll see. I don’t care, I just want to play basketball. For the first time in my career, I only think about basketball and I am happy. I have a chance with a good coach, good leaders who like my profile. I’m glad to be here. “
A refrain which could change quickly with the offers which should not fail to reach the ears of the interior…
| Christian Wood | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Tirs | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Until | Pd | Fte | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2015-16 | PHL | 17 | 9 | 41.5 | 36.4 | 61.9 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 3.6 |
| 2016-17 | NO | 13 | 8 | 52.2 | 0.0 | 73.3 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2.7 |
| 2018-19 * | All Teams | 21 | 12 | 52.1 | 34.6 | 73.2 | 0.8 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 8.2 |
| 2018-19 * | THOUSAND | 13 | 5 | 48.0 | 60.0 | 66.7 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 2.9 |
| 2018-19 * | NOP | 8 | 24 | 53.3 | 28.6 | 75.6 | 1.6 | 6.3 | 7.9 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 16.9 |
| 2019-20 | THE | 62 | 21 | 56.7 | 38.6 | 74.4 | 1.7 | 4.6 | 6.3 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 13.1 |
| Total | 113 | 16 | 54.6 | 36.8 | 73.4 | 1.3 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 9.5 | |
