Detroit Pistons Replay Center: Why Christian Wood didn’t close the game against the Indiana Pacers

After the Detroit Pistons win, there was a lot of talk about Dwane Casey not using Christian Wood in crunch time. Let’s look at the tape and figure out why.

Christian Wood had a breakout game last night. He led the Detroit Pistons in scoring with 19 points on 10 attempts to score. He was highly efficient hitting all three of his three-pointers. He also had 12 rebounds, one block, one turnover and the team was +7 while he was on the floor.

Most of all, he displayed his full skill set. He pushed the ball after rebounds, going coast to coast with ease, he looked comfortable spotting up and he had some pretty good contests at the rim. So it begs the question; Why did Casey go with Markieff Morris down the stretch?

Morris wasn’t nearly as impressive with 8 points on 5 attempts, 4 turnovers, 1 assist, only 1 rebound, no blocks or steals and 5 fouls. The team was also -6 in the minutes he played. Well, the box score doesn’t tell the whole story.

Dwane Casey explained the reasons here:

While Wood was clearly better, it’s hard for a coach not to go with the veteran when the game is on the line and for good reason. Wood netted better results but was uncertain in the way he moved on both ends.

Morris, on the other hand, provides excellent positioning and awareness on both sides of the floor, tough screens and strong box outs. He does all the little things and in a close game, that matters.

You’re not going to give the ball to Wood when you need a bucket to get the lead with a minute or so left. You’re not going to let him push the ball or attack his man one on one.

You’re going to give the ball to Derrick Rose and Luke Kennard and you’ll need great screens to get them open and crisp decision making. Morris can provide that.