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Philadelphia 76ers Targeting Upside With Christian Wood Signing

By Jake Hyman

Mar 7, 2015; San Jose, CA, USA; UNLV Rebels forward Christian Wood (5) controls the ball against the San Jose State Spartans during the first half at San Jose State Event Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 7, 2015; San Jose, CA, USA; UNLV Rebels forward Christian Wood (5) controls the ball against the San Jose State Spartans during the first half at San Jose State Event Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports /
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A player who could have gone in the first-round of the 2015 NBA Draft, Christian Wood will begin his career with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers signed Wood Monday to a four-year, partially guaranteed deal per Liberty Ballers’ Derek Bodner which was initially reported by Liberty Ballers’ Jake Pavorsky.

Reports surfaced up to and following the draft about Wood’s lack of maturity which caused him to slide out of the 2015 NBA Draft entirely. The UNLV product broke out his sophomore year at UNLV averaging a double-double (15.7 PPG and 10.0 RPG) on a rebuilding Runnin’ Rebels team.

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His teammate at UNLV, Rashad Vaughn, is a Milwaukee Buck after being selected with the No. 17 pick in this year’s draft and now Wood has a claim at being an NBA player himself.

After losing Thomas Robinson to the Nets in the offseason and trading Jason Thompson to the Golden State Warriors in July, the frontcourt depth took a hit. Featuring Carl Landry, Furkan Aldemir, Richaun Holmes and now Wood, Philadelphia can spell both Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor without putting serious wear on their starting bigs.

Wood, like Holmes, is a prototypical stretch-4 who developed his outside touch in his sophomore year at UNLV. He only hit 28.4 percent from deep, but showing flashes as a floor spacer are key for his development. Wood’s upside arguably resides in the defensive department as a rim protector first who’s working to become a two-way big in the NBA.

DraftExpress’ Mike Schmitz delves into the possible impact Wood could have on the Sixers on the defensive end:

"“Defensively, Wood has interesting potential as well, thanks to his terrific size, length and agility, even if that’s yet to translate into any real consistency at this stage of his career. He covers ground nicely in the half-court, allowing him to switch on ball screens on the perimeter and stay in front of smaller players. He can contest jump-shooters impressively, and still make it back into the paint to make a play at the rim with his rangy strides and impressive timing.”"

Per DraftExpress, Wood blocked 3.2 shots per-40 minutes pace adjusted last season and can be the eraser lacking in the Sixers second unit outside of Holmes. Wood’s exquisite athleticism for a big allows him to blow by defenders on line drives and finish at the rim on flushes and post moves.

The Sixers gave him an opportunity players would covet. Wood has the talent and upside to make a buy-low contract worth the investment.

Next: 25 Best Players to Play for the Philadelphia 76ers

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