Three Detroit Pistons who could see increased roles in 2019-20

Christian Wood

After five preseason games, Christian Wood is not a bold choice for this list.

It seems almost stupid now that at one point I thought this was going to be a hot take, but on the morning of October 7, Wood was still in contention for the final roster spot, which most thought would go to either Wood or veteran Joe Johnson.

However, it only took seven minutes for Wood to have fans ready to question the front office if he failed to land that final roster spot, when he came off the bench against Orlando, put up a quick 12 points, and almost immediately found himself the game’s leading scoring.

And these cries continued seemingly with each minute Wood was on the court (pardon the pun; it wrote itself, really).

Wood’s preseason success caught many off guard, yet Wood was simply picking up from where he left off last year in New Orleans.

In his first 43 NBA games, Wood averaged just over three points per game. However, after being dropped from the Milwaukee Bucks in March and signing with the Pelicans to finish out the 2018-2019 season, Wood caught fire. In just eight games with the Pelicans, Wood averaged 16.9 points, 1.3 blocks, and 7.9 rebounds in just under 24 minutes per game.

This is not much different from the efficiency Wood showed during the preseason, where after three games he was second only to Stephen Curry in player efficiency rating.

In his breakout performance against in the Pistons first preseason game against Orlando, Wood scored 19 points in as many minutes, while also grabbing eight rebounds, and completely embarrassing Isaac Humphries.

Wood’s role, I’m arguing, is increased simply because he’s been floating around the NBA since coming into the league in 2015. This Pistons mark his fifth team in four seasons. With the Pistons, it seems like he’s finally landed.

Entering preseason, the Pistons had no clear backup center. Wood not only fills this role, but he’s proven reliable for now and promising for the future should Drummond be moved near the trade deadline or sign elsewhere in the offseason.