Christian Wood repeats that he wants to play more…

Christian Wood arrived in Dallas this summer to be the interior counterpart of Luka Doncic, the Slovenian’s first alternative in attack. A knee injury has delayed his acclimatization a bit, but the last few games prove that the former Rockets player is on the right track as Wood was shooting at 17.5 points (at 57% shooting ability, 43% from 3-point range ) and 7.5 rebounds in 25 minutes on average. A very correct series unfortunately interrupted last night by a discreet outing against the Nuggets: 5 points with only three shots, 7 rebounds, 2 assists in 17 minutes, his shortest playing time since the start of the season. What to annoy him : “ I would like to play more. I have already expressed it several times. So I fulfill my role…”

It is all the more incomprehensible that he was coming out of his best game in his new colors with 28 points at 11/16 shooting and 8 rebounds in just 26 minutes. Faced with these same Nuggets!

“He’s a great player”, hammered Luka Doncic. “He’s a great defender. He helps us a lot. The chemistry will improve and we will get to know each other better. But as you can see on the pitch, we already understand each other well, but we can do even better”.

JaVale McGee to guide him

To facilitate his integration, Christian Wood was able to count on his new teammate JaVale McGee. Beyond his own abilities, he also had to adapt to a new environment, in a team with great ambitions, a first for him.

“Christian is just trying to play winning basketball. It’s the first time he’s been in a regular team that aims to go to the playoffs and go far. He went through times where he was playing, I don’t mean loser’s basketball, but it wasn’t winning team basketball.”recalled the three-time NBA champion. “He is extremely professional. He works every day and he’s a scorer. It’s really impressive to see his progress, and to see him understand, not his role, because his role is clearly to score, but how to get his shots, and his positions, and how to also involve his teammates.

An adjustment that took him a little time, Christian Wood not being the type to pull the blanket on him. He first took what the defense gave him before finally being more aggressive with the ball in hand, with success as shown by his 11/16 shooting in the first game against Denver.

“Sometimes he is at the post and makes a pass. So I always tell him, “They don’t pay you to pass in the post, unless there’s a two-man or something like that.” When he does it one-on-one, I tell him, “No, go to the coal. That’s what you’re here for, to score points, so don’t let them pass. If there is a duel, make the right choice, but if not, go ahead, try to score.

“What is good is that he is really altruistic and that he seeks to do the right thing above all”

After a month of competition in the regular season, the results are encouraging for the moment since the objective is that Christian Wood is perfectly integrated into the style of the Mavericks for the spring, when the big meetings will be looming.

“I think you can see he’s comfortable in his role. He is doing a good job for us on both sides of the pitch. You just have to try to give him the ball in attack because he has talent. The good thing is he’s really selfless and looking to do the right thing first and foremost, and he’s doing that at a high level for us right now. We need that”had for his part estimated Jason Kidd before the game of the night.

On the other hand, the Mavericks coach did not comment on the 17 minutes granted to Wood in the loss to the Nuggets…