read reports of him back in UNLV or his time in Detroit. He has had history of egotism and self centeredness. It definitely has shown this year. Van gundy said in a broadcast last week that players who have a pure spirit dedicated to team and the game are the ones who thrive and will be rewarded. This is not Wood. I am still withholding judgement on KPJ but Wood to me has always been the same player. This is why he’s not better than he is and what’s holding him back.
It's too early to give grading to the young players, but with that said Sengun is the clear standout. Green hasn't been as spectacular as expected, but frankly a lot of his issues could be solved with increased weight (and the fact that he is 19). At the very least, last night against OKC he didn't have issues blowing by and scoring against Dort even in isolation situations, so that's a really good foundation to work with. He also does not take a lot of mid-range or long-range 2s, which in my opinion is an important foundation to becoming an efficient offensive player (very few players in this league can make mid-range 2s an efficient offensive option). Whether he ever becomes an elite 3 point shooter is something we'll need to see, but he is certainly playing a style that is effective in today's league. However, I want to give a special shoutout to Wood for being perhaps the most disappointing player on this team. He is without a doubt, a prototypical example of an empty stats player. He is a below 30% contested rebounding percentage, 2nd worse among players that average 10 or more rebounds. He is allergic to fastbreaks because he is insistent on bringing the ball up at a snail's pace, so despite having some of the fastest players in the league, we have the worse transition scoring rate. He has the 2nd most touches on this team but is tied with Sengun in 3rd for assists per game (shout out to Sengun for averaging as many assists as Wood, with far fewer minutes and touches). He has a 51 TS% right now, despite being a big man where the average TS% should be significantly higher. For a bit of reference, a guard's average TS% is 53-54%, Green at 48% is below that, and KPJ at 46% is even worse. A center's average TS% this season is 60%, and Wood at 51% is by far the biggest gap on this team.
Indeed. Wood gets spoonfed a lot of his points but doesn't to anything to make the players around him better which is critical in basketball, offense and defense. I would put him in a Gordon or Wall trade without hesitation.
KPJ is in his third season of his rookie deal. After this season, the Rockets are eligible to sign him to an extension. If you are the Rockets, what is you extension offer? What if he doesn't take it? Are you comfortable matching any offer he gets in restricted free agency? Are you comfortable letting him walk for nothing in two years? If not, are you prepared to trade him in the offseason or next years dead line? So yea, the clock is ticking.
Do you really see a lot of trade value for him though? This was already a second chance for him, does another team want to give up a lot to gamble he'll make it on his 3rd team? I'd really like him come off the bench but I don't see him accepting that.
Sengun. I'm not disappointed in some of the others, but just from an overall standpoint Sengun has impressed me most. Kpj, wood, house and Silas are the guys I'm disappointed in.
Poor character. Only thing in the way of Wood is Wood. I went back and dug up old scouting reports and analyst takes and it’s quite telling. It gives insight into what we still see today in him as a self serving and egotistical player. But they also reveal his physical weaknesses which still plagues him. Check out these: Rotoworld 2015: “Wood is likely a boom-or-bust pick, showing crazy athleticism… while he’s got issues with his strength, fundamentals, physicality and maturity.” SBNATION 2015: “Wood was criticized all season by UNLV fans for not giving maximum effort…” “He never showed consistency as a back-to-the-basket scorer or a spot up shooter.” Masslive 2015: “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." Draftexpress 2016: “While concerns about his background and off-court habits caused him to go undrafted, there is undoubtedly still a great deal of upside left to tap into” 2W10D Gleague report 2017: “He quite simply gets lost and/or doesn’t pay attention to where he should be at all times on that end of the court.” “he simply lacked effort. Not ability, but effort.” The Ringer 2020: “the reputation of an unprofessional player soon developed and stuck.” “stories of him repeatedly showing up late for meetings or workouts made the rounds among scouts and scared many teams off.” The numerous antics we have seen in the past couple seasons feed fuel to this negative history (beating chest after dunk instead of running back, giving up and complaining to refs instead of running back, poor body language after getting pulled by coach, publicly announcing more involvement in offense). Same issues on defense in terms of effort and energy. Ego. Not pure of spirit. Not focused. This is Christian Wood and what separates great players and mediocre ones.
Agreed. He barely played at USC because of his suspension, shortened nba season both his rookie year and last . This will be his first full nba season. He has improved as a defender. He just needs to improve his decision making. I do however agree that Silas and Stone need to shake things up. Trades need to happen and they need to happen fast. I get we aren't looking to truly compete this season but none of the pieces here seem to complement each other. It almost feels like Stone is just collecting assets.
