3 teams who could sign Christian Wood away from the Detroit Pistons

Houston Rockets

It’s been widely speculated that if the Houston Rockets don’t do something substantial in the playoffs this season, it could potentially cost both Mike D’Antoni and Daryl Morey their jobs.

With a Morey-created algorithm that’s largely predicated on high volume three-point shooting and generating free throw attempts, the Rockets have successfully revolutionized the way that basketball is played.

In theory, it’s great and it should amount to more than just regular season success. With just two Western Conference Finals appearances to show for it since 2015, (though one was a Kevin McHale lead team) Houston has gone all in this season on trying to win a championship.

That move was to play the smallest iteration of small-ball that has maybe ever been played. With P.J Tucker currently playing center for them, many have wondered if this is sustainable basketball.

Along with this came the Russell Westbrook for Chris Paul swap that happened last summer, when it initially became clear that this may be the Houston’s largest push at a championship in recent memory.

Diving into what does and does not currently work for the Rockets could take a considerable amount of time, so where does Wood fit into all of this?

As it was previously mentioned, Houston was one of the two teams that checked in on Wood at the deadline. At the time, maybe they either wanted him to replace Clint Capela following his departure, or maybe they just wanted him in the second unit.

Let’s assume for a moment that both D’Antoni and Morey do get let go after the season. It could then be safe to assume they’ll bring in a coach and General Manager who’s styles aren’t so heavily based on analytics.

With this in mind, they may proceed to re-construct their roster in a more traditional way, where they actually value size and a more proper rotational structure.

With both Westbrook and James Harden being predominately isolation players, (they ranked 30th in the league in pick and roll usage with Capela this season) Wood may not be utilized in the way that he would be with most teams.

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However, if we’re assuming there’s a new coach at the helm, then maybe there would be a change in their approach.

Whatever the case winds up being, the theme with all three teams listed so far is simple.

If Wood were to land with any of these teams, he’d immediately be playing with some of the best ball handlers he’s ever been with. The pick and roll potential would be off the charts.

Alongside two of the best passers in the league, Wood could thrive. He’d likely be utilized in the same way that he would be if he were to land in Golden State, as a rim runner who just happens to have floor spacing capabilities whenever the situation calls for it.

If both Morey and D’Antoni were to stay, then the possibility remains all the same. Considering it would be the same regime that already had interest in him, the temptation could still be there.

In the event that the Rockets small ball experiment doesn’t work, they could elect to go back to a more traditional lineup like they had in years prior.

Wood could add an element to Houston’s offense that currently isn’t present. They could use more shooting both along the perimeter and at the rim, and he’s obviously equipped for both of those.

Regardless of who’s calling the shots for the Rockets going into next season, the interest in Wood will most likely be there.