How Close Was Mavs' Christian Wood to Being an All-Star Starter?
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Luka Doncic will represent the Dallas Mavericks at the 2023 NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake City. He was voted as a starter, trailing only Stephen Curry in voting results among Western Conference guards. Christian Wood was the closest of Doncic's teammates to being named an All-Star starter.
Before being sidelined by a fractured thumb injury, Wood was having a strong season for the Mavs. He's appeared in 42 games and is averaging 18.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 29.0 minutes per game. Wood's production only improved when he was finally given the opportunity to start. He's averaged 20.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 17 starts.
The production that Wood has provided on a per 36 minutes basis make for an intriguing All-Star case, with an output of 22.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks. Additionally, Doncic and Wood are the highest scoring duo in the Western Conference this season.
For All-Star starter voting, Wood received 23 player votes and 146,774 fan votes, which accounted for a 14.25 weighted score. He was tied with Kevon Looney for 17th among Western Conference frontcourt players. His ranking among player voting results stood out, as he finished 10th in that category. Some of the names that Wood finished above include Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, Kawhi Leonard, Brandon Ingram, Aaron Gordon, and Rudy Gobert.
One of the goals that Wood had for this season was to be an All-Star. Theoretically, he still has the chance to be named among the reserves for the All-Star team. However, his candidacy doesn't benefit from being sidelined. All-Star reserves will be revealed on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 6 p.m. CT on TNT's Inside The NBA.
"I think I still have a good chance to make an All-Star team," Wood told NBA.com when asked about what goals he has for this season in addition to winning a title. "I think I’ve been playing like an All-Star as a guy coming off the bench or starting."
The Mavs have undoubtedly missed Wood's presence in the lineup as he recovers from injury. they are 3-5 in games that he doesn't play and will have to try to get by without Luka Doncic along with Wood when they take on the Utah Jazz on Saturday.
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