The Dallas Mavericks made a big move in the NBA offseason acquiring big man Christian Wood from the Houston Rockets. It cost the Mavericks five players and one draft pick to get the deal done, but Wood was worth the price given his unique skill set.
Dallas was hopeful that Kristaps Porzingis would be the second option behind Luka Doncic long-term, but that pairing did not work out. With Porzingis traded to the Washington Wizards ahead of the trade deadline, the Mavericks needed some reinforcements when it came to the scoring department.
Wood has delivered in that regard, averaging an efficient 16.6 points per game as he is making 57.3 percent of his shot attempts and 43.2 percent of his 3-point attempts. However, there seems to be some disconnect between him and the organization.
While Wood is a very talented offensive player, he does leave something to be desired defensively. As a result, he isn’t always on the court during crunch time. Things came to a head during Dallas’ last game against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Christian Wood & Dallas Mavericks Updates
The Mavericks lost by one point and during his post-game press conference, Wood did not hold back his opinion on what occurred. He only played 1:51 of the fourth quarter and it is something that he has previously voiced his displeasure with as he wants to be on the court helping his team win, but he will play any role that Jason Kidd gives him.
“Christian Wood in postgame locker room said Mavs don’t prep him before games about second-half playing time plans: “I have no clue.”
After playing 1:51 in Q4 tonight: “I would love to play more. I’ve voiced that several times, but I just play my role.”
It doesn’t sound like this was a one-off thing if it is something that Wood has discussed with the organization previously. Communication is of the utmost importance and there seems to be a lack of it in some areas of the Mavericks.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Christian Wood & Dallas Mavericks Updates
Playing Wood for more minutes would help take pressure off of Doncic, who has been carrying an unsustainable amount of the offensive load on his shoulders. Wood has shown that he is capable of carrying an offense for stretches as the No. 1 option and that his production on that end of the court can outweigh the negatives of his defense.
This will be something to keep an eye on in the coming weeks as Wood is on an expiring contract. If things don’t start turning around, the Mavericks could look to flip him for a better-fitting piece that is under contract beyond this season.
