Detroit Pistons: Key players with something to prove down the stretch

Christian Wood: Free agent star?

There was only one logical place to end the projection for the rest of the season and it is with the man who has gone from battling for a roster spot to getting introduced last in the pregame introductions. Obviously injuries and trades have helped move him into that spotlight, but Christian Wood has absolutely earned it as well.

Wood has scored 20 points in four straight games, setting new career highs twice during the stretch. Showing that he can be the focal point for a team that is playing a lot of close games is promising. While this can be rolled out when you consider some teams are not trying their hardest against a Pistons team they should be able to beat either way, it does not take away from Wood being in a leadership situation for this team.

Dwane Casey has held Wood accountable all season, making it clear that maturity had been his issue elsewhere and it will be corrected here. This has irked some fans seeing how many players have seen their minutes effected but watching how Wood developed over the season. The rest of the season is only important to continue that development and building to the contract he will be getting this summer.

Considering what kind of number Wood gets this offseason is confusing. He had better per-36 minute numbers in New Orleans last season, albeit less efficiently, He barely made this Pistons this summer. That mistake will not happen again, considering teams like Boston and Houston reportedly called Detroit trying to steal him.

The market not having much space helps the Detroit Pistons case but looking at him signing a potential 4-year, $48 million deal would not be a surprising outcome at this point. This falls somewhere between the deals given out for Brook Lopez and DeAndre Jordan last summer. He does not have the defensive reputation of either of these players but youth is a huge plus in Wood’s favor. It is a more team-friendly contract than what the Grizzlies gave Jonas Valanciunas last summer as well.

This is a bet on the future for the Detroit Pistons, locking in a guy who will be only 25 at the beginning of next season. He should be part of the future core going forward with Luke Kennard, Bruce Brown, Sekou Doumbouya, Svi Mykhailiuk and any other young guys they add along the way. He has earned the contract he will get this summer and, despite all the losing, has taken to being a Piston.

Christian Wood wants to be in Detroit, so the Pistons need to keep him there.