It is absurd that five teams have forced Christian Wood to leave his franchise. He is about to make his first All-Star selection and is the favorite for the Most Improved Player of the Year. On Thursday night, Wood declared himself one of the league’s best bigwigs – and he has every right to believe in his. declaration.
One of the teams that kicked Wood prematurely was the New Orleans Pelicans. He signed with the team in March 2019 and dropped out four months later. Although it has been almost two years since Wood last played for the Pelicans, it is safe to say that New Orleans would have liked to maintain the 25 points and 9 rebounds that led to the Houston Rockets’ 126-112 victory.
“It was definitely a game of revenge. Some of the coaches are still there. David Griffin is there. I definitely wanted to show them what they missed. ” – wood
Wood had one of his best performances of the season in his former stronghold. He shot 11-13 on the field – which included draining three of his attempts at four shots from outside. Wood’s ability to hit open shots was eminent in his game against the Pelicans. New Orleans started the game by crashing down on Wood every time he put the ball on the ground. The Pelicans’ defensive plan gave Stephen Silas a chance to test his strategy for using Wood as a corner pitcher.
“He found where he can be successful, either on top of the floor or finding areas in the painting. We will expand this to put it in the corners. This will make the decision more difficult for your man to decide whether they will help with the trip or stay at home on the sniper. And Christian is one of those snipers. ”- Silas
The Pelicans were the team that gave Wood his first real chance to prove he could play in the NBA. New Orleans claimed Wood’s exemption after a 13-game pass with the Milwaukee Bucks. At that time, Wood averaged just 3.0 points and 1.9 rebounds in 43 career games. And between Philadelphia, Charlotte and Milwaukee, Wood averaged 7.1 minutes per game.
Signing with the Pelicans was a change that defined Wood’s career. On game days, Wood played substantial minutes for a team that needed depth on the frontcourt. But it was the work that Wood put into the Oschner Sports Performance Center that laid the foundation that made him beat his opponents in Houston today.
Anthony Davis was helping with Wood’s development in New Orleans. The Pelicans were at odds with Davis after deciding not to grant his exchange request to the Lakers a month before Wood’s arrival. The friction between the two parties has caused the Pelicans to reduce Davis’ playing time and rest on some occasions.
With Davis still around, he became a mentor to the player who watched him from afar for years. They spent a significant amount of time working together in practice, while Davis taught Wood to be a great effective man in the league, despite his slim figure. Wood’s work with Davis in an empty gym came about when the lights shone more brightly inside the Smoothie King Center.
“He’s just a guy full of potential. I don’t even think C. Wood knows how good he can really be. He has many similarities to Anthony Davis in LA. The height. The ability to protect all five positions. The versatility at both ends of the floor. He definitely has the potential to become a player of that caliber. ”- Cousins DeMarcus
Davis saw Wood shine in his absence during the last eight Pelicans games of the season. Wood averaged 16.9 points while throwing 53.3 percent of the field to go along with 7.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Wood’s most important statistic was the 23.6 minutes he averaged during his time on Big Easy.
Wood described his short time in New Orleans as a blessing. He scored double digits in six of his eight games. And during the end of the season, Wood scored the best of his career, 26 points and 12 rebounds in the 112-103 loss to the Warriors.
His tour of New Orleans came to an end during a busy off-season of the franchise. Davis ‘exchange with the Lakers, followed by several free agency additions and the draft, resulted in Wood being the victim of the Pelicans’ attempt to reduce his squad. The Pelicans resigned Wood on July 15. Two days later, the Detroit Pistons demanded that the free agent cancel the resignations.
What the Pelicans went through now is helping the Rockets to succeed in the post-James Harden era. Houston is currently putting together a five-game winning streak and is back at 0.500 with a 9-9 record after Saturday night’s victory. The Pelicans could have made Wood the centerpiece of their New Orleans reconstruction project. Instead, they will have to assist Wood as part of a rebuild of I-10 West with the tools he learned at Big Easy.
“I loved it here. I loved the fans. I loved playing with the team. I learned a lot working with AD [Anthony Davis] during my time here. Coach [Alvin] Gentry gave me a chance and I ran with her. I did the best I could with the time I was given. ” – wood