Untapped Potential: Christian Wood's Time with Mavs Likely Over?
Although Dallas Mavericks big man Christian Wood had a decent season by the numbers, the ceiling of his potential with the team – and more specifically, next to Luka Doncic – was never reached. Trading for Wood was the Mavs' first move last offseason, and although he had his moments, his production wasn't enough to keep Dallas for missing the playoffs a year after making a Western Conference Finals appearance.
From the very beginning, when Jason Kidd announced at media day that Wood would start the season coming off the bench, the relationship between Kidd and Wood seemed to be strained and starting off on the wrong foot. Unfortunately for Dallas, it never got much better, and it probably got worse as the season progressed.
In 67 games this season, Wood averaged 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from downtown in 26 minutes per game. As a starter in just 17 games, Wood averaged 20.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.
Going into the offseason, Wood enters unrestricted free agency as Dallas opted not to offer an extension at the deadline on March 31. During exit interviews, Mavs GM Nico Harrison certainly didn't commit to, nor make any promising comments regarding re-signing the big man. Although it was against mediocre competition, Wood being the starting center coincided with the Mavs' longest win streak in over a decade – a 7-game streak from Dec. 21, 2022 through Jan. 2 of 2023.
With the awkwardness between Wood and Kidd, you could argue that the seven-year big man never got a completely fair shot at earning his role on the team. On the other hand, you could also debate that given his opportunities, Wood didn't take full advantage of his chance as a starter – Dallas was 9-8 in his 17 starts – and certainly failed as a defender, despite having a few good stretches as a shot blocker.
Overall, it'd be quite the surprise if Wood begins the 2023-24 season in a Mavericks uniform. Could he be a positive asset on a team-friendly deal if a large market doesn’t develop for him? Sure. But even if that happens, is his situation with Dallas salvageable? That’s a question only he can answer.
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