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(Woj) Christian Wood agrees to deal with Rockets

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by rocketpower2, Jun 26, 2015.

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saleem Contributing Member

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Normalus said: ↑

Stretch 4, DMo like with Dwight's standing reach. This kid is really young, needs to add bulk, but he has 3pt range and he is outstanding athlete - rim protector as well. Very strange he went undrafted...

6'11''
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His workouts reportedly didn't go well.

Normalus, you probably know D-Mo more than a lot of us, but he is not a stretch 4, even though his outside shot has improved.

I hope he doesn't have a guaranteed contract. I want him to earn a place on the Rockets.

#21 saleem, Jun 26, 2015

RedRedemption Contributing Member

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This is pretty insane. We got #16, #17, #25 level talents for the #18, #32, and undrafted free agency.

#22 RedRedemption, Jun 26, 2015
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I just had posted all of his tweets saying "poor Christian wood" and now he made it! Super happy for the kid!

#23 zeeshan2, Jun 26, 2015
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ivenovember said: ↑

Was the #25 rated prospect by Draft Express this year.
Here's his strengths video:
https://youtu.be/Hyt5McHmIKg
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Awesome! Is there any particular reason he went undrafted?

#24 krmclaughlin, Jun 26, 2015
ivenovember Member

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I'm not sure if I would really call Wood a total stretch 4, to me he reminds me of a taller version of Terrance Jones, lots of similarities (and weaknesses) in their game.

#25 ivenovember, Jun 26, 2015
chandlerbang21 Member

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A PF taller than 6ft 8!!

#26 chandlerbang21, Jun 26, 2015
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Every year...some undrafted kid makes an impact at manages to get a contract. He may have a hard time making the Rockets 15 man roster, but he will open some eyes...

#27 sugrlndkid, Jun 26, 2015

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ilovehtownbb said: ↑

his body movement reminds me AD
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He reminds me a lot of Anthony actually.

Anthony Randolph that is.

#28 ThatBoyNick, Jun 26, 2015
ivenovember Member

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From Woj,

UNLV forward Christian Wood – one of the highest-rated talents to go unselected in the NBA draft on Thursday – has agreed to a free agent deal with the Houston Rockets, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Wood will sign a partially guaranteed contract, sources said.

Wood, a 6-foot-11 forward, performed below standards in pre-draft workouts and dropped completely out of the second round on Thursday night. Wood averaged 15.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks for UNLV in his sophomore season before declaring for the June NBA draft.
Click to expand...

#29 ivenovember, Jun 26, 2015
rocketpower2 Member

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Question is why did he get undrafted? Character or injury issues? Because obviously on talent alone he was worthy of a first round selection.

#30 rocketpower2, Jun 26, 2015
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damn, 6'11 who can run like that and shoot threes? interesting game

will prob need to bulk up though

#31 TesseracT, Jun 26, 2015
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saleem said: ↑

His workouts reportedly didn't go well.

Normalus, you probably know D-Mo more than a lot of us, but he is not a stretch 4, even though his outside shot has improved.
Click to expand...

Based on how he was playing pre injury I'd say D Mo now is a stretch 4. His best attribute is still his post game, but it got to the point where I was actually excited when he'd get an open look at a three instead of cringing.

#32 rocketfan21, Jun 26, 2015
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I'm almost disappointed we're a contender, because it would be so much fun watching these guys get big minutes off the bat and develop over a full season.

#33 RedRedemption, Jun 26, 2015

J.R. Member

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19 years old
H: 6'11
6'9.25 w/o shoes
6'10.5 w/ shoes
Weight: 216
Wingspan: 7'3.25
Standing reach: 9'3.5
Body fat: 14.7

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Christian-Wood-7182/
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Strengths
Length (7-2 wingspan)
Can face up and score
Can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim
Good shot blocker
Excellent rebounder
Good passer
Good free throw shooter

Weaknesses
Has to add size and strength
Has tended to be a perimeter drifter in the past
Has to gain consistency from 3-point range

NBA projection: Wood has been projected as a late first-round pick, and experts believe his stock will continue to rise during the run-up to the draft.

2014-15 Season
Wood earned second-team All-Mountain West honors after averaging a double-double, finishing second on his team and fifth in the league in scoring, leading UNLV and finishing second in the MWC in rebounding, and pacing the Rebels and finishing second in the conference in blocked shots. He racked up 18 double-doubles, eighth in Division I, and scored 20 or more points nine times.

Key statistics: 15.7 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.4 apg, 2.7 tpg, 2.7 bpg, 32.7 mpg, .497 FG, .284 3PT, .736 FT

Cool statistic: Wood was one of just 18 players in Division I to average a double-double in 2014-15.

Reminds me of: John Henson

http://www.nba.com/draft/2015/prospects/christian_wood/
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Sophomore, PF, UNLV

6’0.25”, 184.6 LBS

6.5 % Body Fat

7’3.25” Wing Span (9th among draft class)

9’3.5” Standing Reach (4th among draft class)

College Stats In 2014-15: 33 games, 32.7 MPG, 15.7 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 2.7 BPG, 1.3 APG, 48.7 FG%, 28.4 3P%, 73.6 FT%

Where He’ll Go:

Most draft experts expect Wood to go late in the first round.

Best Game In 2014-15:

Wood had plenty of great games during his sophomore season at UNLV, but the best came on Feb. 10 at home against Fresno State. UNLV won 73-61 thanks to 27 points and a season-high 19 rebounds and seven blocks from Wood. He shot 8-of-18 from the field and did a majority of his work at the free-throw line, going 11-of-17. Only two players for UNLV (Wood and Rashad Vaughn) scored more than seven points.

Scouting Report:

Wood’s main strength right now is on the defensive side at the ball. He’s long and athletic (tell me where you’ve heard that before?) and blocked shots at a high rate in college. He’s not bad at switching in pick-and-rolls and if he does fall behind his man, he has the length to block shots.

He’s skinny right now and needs to add on weight, but he’s 19. He’ll probably still fill out.

Offensively, he’s a very interesting player. Sometimes his shot selections are baffling. He’ll jack up a three with 25 seconds left on the shot clock. That’s not something coaches or veteran NBA players will exactly love. That's something Anthony Bennett, a former UNLV player, had to deal with this season for the Wolves.

The frustrating thing with Wood is that he's actually an above-average three-point shooter, despite hitting only 28 percent of them last season. Much of that had to do with shot selection.

“I feel like even in college, I shot the ball 28 percent from the three-point line,” Wood said at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. “I think in the NBA, I can shoot the ball 38 percent to 40 percent… I kind of took weird (shots). That was just because I felt I was confident in my shot. If my shot goes in in practice, I feel like it should go in in a game.”

The one good thing about some of Wood’s questionable shots is that he’s normally the one to go back and get it. He’s like a pogo stick after a miss and it’s almost like he’s anticipating a miss – like a pass to himself (Ricky Davis style).

He can run the floor (Ricky Rubio smiles) and is a very good athlete for a big man. He will have plenty of opportunities for lobs and is an above-average ball handler for a big man, which should result in him being able to pass out of double teams later in his career.

He did meet with the Wolves at the Combine.

Overall

When it comes to Wood, he’s the ultimate high-risk/high-reward player. Best-case scenario, he’s a shot-blocking, stretch forward who ends up putting on another 20-30 pounds of muscle. That’s a scary thought. You don’t see many (if any at all?) stretch fours who have the ability to block shots at a high rate.

Then again, Wood could be a player who continues to be undisciplined with his shot selection and finds himself on the bench real early. Just imagine if his first coach were Rick Adelman or Tom Thibodeau. Those two aren’t fans of playing young players and if Wood gets in the doghouse early, who knows.

Quotable

“I’m still working on it – developing from an NBA three. I think I’ll be good.” – Christian Wood on developing into a three-point shooter in the NBA.

http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/2015-draft-profile-christian-wood
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Pros: Length, Athleticism, Upside, Shot Blocking, Ball Handling, Soft Touch, Can contribute at both ends, runs floor

Cons: Strength, Motor, Decision-Making, A bit raw

Christian Wood is a long, lanky big man who eerily resembles the body type of Anthony Davis when the All-Star entered the league in 2012. Both players were measured at 6-foot-9 ¼ without sneakers and 6-foot-10 ½ in sneakers at their respective Draft Combines. Wood weighed in at 216 pounds, six fewer than Davis had. Davis has the longer wingspan by about two inches, but Wood has the advantage in standing reach by 3.5 inches. This is not to say that Wood is on par with Davis – he’s not – but there are some similarities. Like Davis, Wood is an athletic big man who can rebound and defend, and there is promise at the offensive end. He has a soft touch around the basket, oftentimes showing off his floater. He’s also very capable of taking the ball off of the dribble with both hands and has some range on his jumper. That jumper is currently unreliable from the outside but I see that improving if he puts in the work. He’s much stronger than he looks while playing at the offensive end. He fights for position and deals well with contact. He reminds me a lot of Zach Randolph with his ability to finish awkward shots around the basket. When he extends around the hoop, with that length and reach, it’s difficult to challenge his shot. With his athleticism and length, he could become a nightmare to defend in pick-and-rolls. He also runs the floor very well and is patient when dealing with double-teams. Wood was a great collegiate rebounder, using his length and timing to haul in misses. He’ll need to fight for position more often in the NBA if he is to translate his rebounding prowess, which means he’ll need to gain weight. I believe he has the frame to put on weight and strength. Wood is much more motivated by offense than he is by defense. He doesn’t play as strong at the defensive end and is oftentimes pushed around. He’s a great weak-side shot blocker but struggles on the ball. Adding that previously-mentioned weight and strength would go along way for him at the defensive end. Overall, he has a lot of potential. If the right coaching staff gets him, and he comes into the league motivated to be great, he could turn himself into one of the steals of this Draft.

http://www.nba.com/celtics/draft/profile-christian-wood
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Christian Wood, PF, UNLV, Sophomore

Wood was as improved as any player in college basketball this past season. His averages of 15.7 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game – up from 4.5 points and 3.2 rebounds last season – were impressive, but even more impressive was how much more efficient he was. Wood, who shot 41% from the field in his limited role as a freshman, saw that jump to just under 50% as a sophomore.

Wood, who settled for outside jump shots too much during his freshman season, instead used that jump shot to set-up a very effective dribble-drive game, where his athleticism really shined. That combination of size, athleticism, and perimeter shooting, combined with good rebounding and shot blocking instincts, creates a pretty attractive combination.

Should Wood capitalize on the improvement he showed during his sophomore season and jump into the NBA? Despite his clear talent, decision makers still have some reservations.

The first concern is his size. He needs to add considerable strength to withstand the physical nature of the NBA. Another year of college could help in that regard.

There's also the concern over consistency. While Wood was a more consistent player in the second half of the season for UNLV, having scored in double figures in his last 15 games, his style and shot selection, can still lead to some up and down play. The strides Wood made this season in that regard were considerable, but with another year of seasoning at the collegiate level that may be a question he could answer once and for all by returning for his junior season.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...-christian-wood-kris-dunn-nba-draft/25879987/
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Strengths

The list of Wood's strengths does not initially compute with his current range on mock drafts. DraftExpress currently lists Wood No. 41, but various mocks have had him up and down the first round, anywhere from No. 22 to the mid-second round.

Even the highest projections don't make a ton of sense when reading through Wood's list of attributes. He's 6-foot-11 with an impressive 7-foot-3 wingspan, and while he needs to pack on significant muscle at the NBA level, he has a ton of bounce. That bodes well for his potential both as a defender and as a rebounder. He's got legitimate rim-protecting potential as a help-side defender, and his lateral quickness will serve him well defending the roll man. He has the potential to switch pick-and-rolls as well, which would fit into Brad Stevens' system nicely.

It's his rim protection that would really fascinate the Celtics, however, who need significant defensive help in the middle.

Wood's offensive game needs a lot of work, but the tools are all in place for him to fit in perfectly as a professional. He has shown flashes of being able to stretch to the college 3-point line — albeit with mechanics that desperately need adjustments and consistency — and he was extremely efficient at the rim, shooting 70.2 percent according to DraftExpress. As the roll man, he relies on his excellent athleticism to finish off plays around the basket.

Wood is more than just an athlete, however. His touch around the basket allows him to finish off tough layups, and while his post game is far from Jahlil Okafor, it's also not Bismack Biyombo — he can stretch over smaller defenders and finish when he works his way into the paint.

One of the more impressive aspects of Wood's offensive game is his ability to attack closeouts. When he can force defenses to respect his 3-point range and players attack him off the catch, he's able to put the ball on the ground and use his long, fluid strides to get to the basket, where he knows how to finish with style.

In many ways, this area of his game is reminiscent of a very large guard — he doesn't mind trying to handle the ball at all (and indeed, he tries to handle it too much at times, but more on that shortly).

To recap: Wood is an athletic big with long arms, rim-protecting and 3-point shooting potential, and a significant amount of unique two-way promise. He won't contribute next season, but his ceiling is incredibly high. So why is he so low on most draft boards?

Weaknesses

Wood's mentality is concerning. He doesn't seek out contact on either end, preferring to shy away from driving guards who might make contact with him. While NBA training regimens should pack on plenty of muscle, he currently offers very little resistance to big men who try to muscle him out of the way on the boards and in the paint. The vast majority of his rebounds come from his athleticism and length, not his positioning or strength, which could prove problematic at the next level where his length and athleticism won't be nearly as overwhelming as they were in college.

He also can be a selfish offensive player. His shot selection is very questionable, especially from 3-point range — DraftExpress notes that he "plays like he's trying to prove he's a wing."

That's less-than ideal for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is because Wood doesn't have the skill set to play the wing in the NBA. Wood isn't even a guarantee to pan out at the position he's most likely to succeed at — power forward — and if he tries to play out of position, he's likely to struggle mightily.

After that, there are a plethora of mentality-related concerns — Wood doesn't always have great off-ball defensive discipline, he doesn't always understand pick-and-roll defensive schemes yet, he's foul prone, and he is not a good passer. Perhaps most concerning for a player with his red flags: Scouts have wondered whether his mentality lends itself toward a player capable of maximizing his potential.

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2015/06/2015_nba_draft_christian_wood.html
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#34 J.R., Jun 26, 2015
Last edited: Jun 26, 2015
ivenovember Member

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Offering partial guarantee to undrafted rookie further implies operating above the cap, IMO, but that's not much of a surprise.

#35 ivenovember, Jun 26, 2015
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Chris Mannix
Christian Wood--recently signed by Houston, via @WojYahooNBA--is a nice talent. But teams got some scathing reviews about his work ethic.
6:15pm - 26 Jun 15

#36 zeeshan2, Jun 26, 2015
ilovehtownbb Member

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ivenovember said: ↑

I'm not sure if I would really call Wood a total stretch 4, to me he reminds me of a taller version of Terrance Jones, lots of similarities (and weaknesses) in their game.
Click to expand...

THIS kid got game, he got step back Js, can actually reb the ball. TJ has better handle, but he can't reb for ****

#37 ilovehtownbb, Jun 26, 2015
rocketpower2 Member

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ivenovember said: ↑

Offering partial guarantee to undrafted rookie further implies operating above the cap, IMO, but that's not much of a surprise.
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Was coming in here to post this. DM wouldn't sacrifice cap space otherwise.

#38 rocketpower2, Jun 26, 2015

mmottola26 Member

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RedRedemption said: ↑

I'm almost disappointed we're a contender, because it would be so much fun watching these guys get big minutes off the bat and develop over a full season.
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You would rather be horrible than contend for a championship?

#39 mmottola26, Jun 26, 2015
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Him being a stretch 4 is contingent on him improving his shot, a lot. Granted, he'll have a lot of live opportunities on the Vipers to do just that.

#40 NotChandlerParsons, Jun 26, 2015

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