After a remarkable display of both offense and defense during the preseason, the Detroit Pistons are reportedly looking to bring on Christian Wood’s services for the season.
According to Chris Haynes, an NBA Insider for Yahoo Sports, the Detroit Pistons “intend to award Christian Wood with a regular season roster spot.”
Detroit Pistons intend to award forward Christian Wood with a regular season roster spot for his strong preseason play but the organization has some roster maneuvering to do, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) October 20, 2019
Pistons fans will rejoice everywhere after reading those words. Though at times it felt slightly inevitable due to just how dominate he was during the preseason, it’s reassuring to see Detroit’s front office continue to make solid moves.
What conclusion fans may immediately jump to is that this means Joe Johnson will no longer be on the team, however this doesn’t seem to be the case.
Hearing a handful of PG needy teams have reached out the Detroit Pistons about Khyri Thomas. The Pistons are looking at trade options vs eating any extra money on the cap this year and next.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) October 20, 2019
This was certainly a “read between the lines” story line throughout the Pistons preseason, as Khyri Thomas was not seeing anything close to the amount of minutes some had anticipated. This lead to heavy speculation that he could be traded away in order to retain both Johnson and Wood, and that appears to be the venture Detroit will pursue.
More from PistonPowered
- Which Detroit Pistons could save Team USA in the Olympics?
- Detroit Pistons could have major roster churn after 2023-24 season
- The best Detroit Pistons to wear each uniform number
- Full Detroit Pistons NBA 2K24 ratings
- Detroit Pistons: Who will sign the remaining NBA free agents?
It is slightly puzzling however that NBA teams still view Thomas as a point guard, when he’s played substantially more minutes as a shooting guard.
Wood’s preseason success was no fluke, as he was a continuous force for the New Orleans Pelicans near the end of last season. After dominating in his performance against the Orlando Magic, posting 19 points and grabbing 8 rebounds on 60 percent shooting, it almost felt as if he immediately locked up his spot on the roster.
Although he saw inconsistent minutes throughout the preseason, he had another scintillating display against the Philadelphia 76ers, scoring 19 points and 10 rebounds on 50 percent shooting.
His presence provides essential stability at the backup center position that Detroit desperately needs. His interior defense and ability to run pick and rolls on offense brings an element of consistency that again, Detroit desperately needs. Finally, his ability to space the floor and hit perimeter shots fits Dwane Casey’s offensive vision.
Wood will have to improve his perimeter defense, as his close outs were frequently inconsistent and cost Detroit several possessions throughout the preseason. However, this is ultimately the best thing that could have happened to the Pistons.
This is the news that Detroit Pistons fans have been waiting for.