10 takeaways from the Detroit Pistons first half of the season
7. Wood’s storybook season
Wood is having the time of his life. He’s found happiness through the game of basketball in Detroit and it shows. Cutaway shots to the bench often show him cheering on his teammates. On the court, he’s hitting a 3-pointer or driving for a dunk.
Wood went through a funk on the west-coast trip but closed the first half with two strong games. He registered a double-double with 17 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in Saturday’s loss to the Bulls. Then on Monday he had 18 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and two steals in an overtime loss to the Pelicans.
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It’s remarkable given he was in and out of the rotation early in the season. He’s come a long way from bouncing around four teams over three seasons, including a gap year from the NBA. It’s shown his growth with the maturation process.
Wood, 24, is averaging 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game with shooting splits of .572/.373/.716. He’s up to 17.1 minutes per game after playing in 37 of the 41 games. He may stay for the near future and be a part of the Pistons’ future plans.