While the season may have been cut short, Christian Wood was arguably the brightest spot for the Detroit Pistons. Here’s a look back at his five best games.
Christian Wood has been a revelation for the Detroit Pistons this season. For a team short on star-level prospects finding one in the last guy to make the roster last summer made a down season feel almost special. While fans have loved Wood all season he did not truly take off until Andre Drummond was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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There were games that whet the appetite for what was to come before Drummond was moved but there were also games he saw limited or no minutes as he earned his place in coach Dwane Casey’s rotation. After beating out Joe Johnson to make the roster in training camp his next obstacle was to prove that he was more deserving of minutes of the incumbent Thon Maker.
Even as fans balked at the times Maker would get minutes over Wood, it was all about accountability and the fact that Maker was smarter on the defensive end of the floor. As the Pistons fell in the standings and Wood continued to prove himself more by the day this battle for minutes became something of a rout. By the time the season was suspended Wood had cemented himself as a full-time starter and the biggest free agent priority for the Pistons this summer.
Obviously we would all rather be watching fresh games of Christian Wood developing himself alongside the rest of the Pistons young players as consistency, along with play-making and defensive mindset, is his biggest area for improvement. But this pause in the action allows us to look back at his five best games of the season to give fans and the league alike a chance to ponder what could be expected should Wood be given even more opportunity next season.
Unfortunately, these stellar performances came in losses during a time when the Pistons were rising in the Tankathon standings, but no one seemed to tell Christian Wood.