Detroit Pistons, Christian Wood (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Detroit Pistons got a breakout season from Christian Wood in 2019-20, and assuming he re-signs next season should be even better.
It’s easy to forget that the Detroit Pistons almost missed out on the Christian Wood experience in 2019-20. If not for a preseason injury to defending BIG3 MVP Joe Johnson, Wood might not have even made the team. One thing led to another and Wood had a fantastic season that’s going to get him paid in free agency this coming offseason.
Most likely, the Pistons will prepare a hearty offer and do what it takes to retain him, and that assumption is where we’re going to start for the purposes of this exercise. Let’s take a look at three goals for Christian Wood, who we’re going to expect to remain a Detroit Piston.
Christian Wood’s first goal: Improved playmaking
Christian Wood showed incredible progression this season as a scorer and finisher, but his playmaking left much to be desired. While the offense was automatically better when he was on the floor, his teammates did not directly benefit from his presence.
If the Pistons are hoping to quickly bounce back into playoff contention after a bad 20-46 season, they’re going to need him to take this leap. Other than Luke Kennard and Blake Griffin, this isn’t a team with many capable playmakers and considering their dearth of natural scorers, it’s a step they’re going to badly need out of Wood going forward.
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<p>This can’t be pinned on Wood, however. He never turned the ball over and with low usage (just 14.4 percent) he shot very well with an effective field goal percentage of 64.3. Of course, this small sample works out to just 8-of-14 from the floor and 2-of-5 from 3-point range, but the point remains: He was solid as a third or fourth option in the clutch, which is a role he will likely not play this year if he returned to the Detroit Pistons.</p>
<p>He’s going to have to know when to assert himself as a scoring option playing alongside Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose, and that improved playmaking we talked about is going to be a big factor. This season his responsibilities in the clutch consisted entirely of getting the ball very occasionally and shooting when that happens. In 2020-21, his newfound responsibilities will demand much more from him.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/09/28/detroit-pistons-3-goals-christian-wood/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Improve the defense </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-410987" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/09/28/detroit-pistons-3-goals-christian-wood/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1208275308.jpeg" alt="Detroit Pistons, Christian Wood" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1208275308.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1208275308-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Detroit Pistons, Christian Wood (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Christian Wood’s third goal: Improved defense and rim protection</h2>
<p>To hear Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey tell the story, defense was the biggest hindrance for Wood all season and it’s a big reason it took so long to supplant a rotational role away from Thon Maker, a clearly inferior player. While Wood’s offense was so good it ultimately became impossible to keep him off the floor, it’s an obvious impediment.</p>
<p>There are a number of reasons for this, although it appears that a lack of focus and attention to detail might be the biggest culprit. It’s something he’s got a reputation for and it’s likely the biggest cap on his potential. His offense is not likely to fully transcend frequent defensive foibles, so his goal needs to be a matter of at least limiting and reducing those mistakes, if not completely eliminating them.</p>
<p>Wood was the only player to get major minutes for the Detroit Pistons this season who ended up with a positive net rating, and that’s an incredible feat considering the shabby state the roster was in most of the season. A defensive boost along these lines could take him to the next level for a Pistons team eager to see him grow and develop in Detroit.</p>
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