The Detroit Pistons were able to land the services of someone who produced on a level that they never anticipated. What is Wood’s final season grade?
When Christian Wood was initially picked up by the Detroit Pistons last summer, the expectation was that he’d provide quality minutes coming off of the bench behind Andre Drummond, and that’s about it.
He was someone who the Pistons hoped would be a reliable contingency plan for, if nothing else, the 2019-2020 season alone. Although fans familiar with Wood’s most recent stint in New Orleans were excited, even their expectations weren’t too high.
After battling for the final roster spot in the preseason with long time NBA veteran Joe Johnson, Wood was the clear favorite to play for Detroit on opening night.
After a few anxiety ridden weeks wondering what would happen, the choice was made to keep him.
He spent the first few months of the season receiving inconsistent minutes, and Dwane Casey often opted to play Thon Maker instead. He often cited Wood’s frequent defensive lapses and lack of maturity as the reasoning.
It was slowly starting to look like Wood’s time with Detroit was beginning to blend together with the other four teams he had played on. He would occasionally get to see the floor, but far too infrequently.
Fans wanted to see more of him, but it wasn’t happening.
However, once the Pistons organizational direction became clear by trading Drummond to Cleveland, Wood seized the opportunity and took his game to new heights.