Christian Wood has learned how to make the best of his situation this season – whatever that oft-changing situation might be.
He’s started 17 games, been a featured part of the rotation, had a good shot-blocking and rebounding run in December and, since the All-Star break, has been coming off the bench for between 14 and 22 minutes per game.
And as he nears the completion of this season with the Mavericks, two thoughts dominate his mind.
First, he is certain that he still has a chance to make his mark bigger than it’s been so far.
Second, this season has gone nothing like he envisioned when Houston traded him to the Mavericks last summer in exchange for the Mavericks’ first-round draft pick and several bit players.
“No, no, I wouldn’t say so,” Wood said when asked if this season was what he expected. “But I’m happy to be here, happy to a part of this team. And we’ll try to make a good playoff run because I do think we have a deep team. So, just try and do that.
“I would say the playoffs are going to be big, no matter how many minutes I play. I just have to come and attack it with the same mindset I’ve been attacking it with the whole season. I’ve been the ninth man, I’ve been the eighth man, sixth man, I’ve started. So just attack every role I’ve been in.”
Interestingly, the numbers suggest Wood is having a solid season. His points per game and rebounds (17 and 7.6) are off slightly from what he did last year in a starter’s role with the Rockets (17.9, 10.1).
However, he’s playing more than four fewer minutes per game than he did last season.
If you compare his numbers per 36 minutes played, he’s actually averaging more points this season (23.1 to 20.9) although his rebounds are off slightly (10.3 vs. 11.8).
“Playing less, right? Is that good or bad?” Wood joked when told about his points per 36 minutes. “I don’t know. It sounds good to me.”
Indeed, at least in terms of productivity.
Jason Kidd has the difficult job of juggling playing time and with the Mavericks’ big men, it’s particularly challenging. When they are all healthy, there just aren’t enough minutes to go around.
Going with whoever is rolling is Kidd’s preferred method of doling out time. But that’s not a perfect science, either.
“Look at the depth we have will all the bigs,” Kidd said. “We’re trying to get them in the game and see who has the hot hand. Right now, with Maxi (Kleber) back, that’s going to cut some of his minutes down, especially when we’re healthy. That’s just the way it is right now. And it can change as we go forward.”
Wood is banking on that last part, at least from his perspective.
He wants to help the Mavericks get into the playoffs, which is no guarantee at the moment given the jumbled standings in the Western Conference.
But if they get healthy with Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving returning from injuries, the Mavericks like their chances of being among the eight playoff teams – whether or not that means going through the play-in tournament or not.
And Wood has been well-prepared this season for whatever cards he is dealt.
“It’s just me being good in any role I’ve given,” he said. “I’m thankful for the opportunity. I think all season long, I’ve been good in every role I’ve played. (My attitude is) just come in and attack it, be aggressive in the home stretch.
“The West is close in the standings. We’re going to need everybody. I’m glad Maxi’s back. Luka’s a big piece for us, clearly. He’s the second-leading scorer in the NBA. We’re going to miss him for sure and we need him back.”
And if Dončić and/or Irving are out for an extended stretch, it’s up to Wood, Jaden Hardy, Josh Green and others to fill in.
The spirit, despite losses in eight of their last 11 games going back before the All-Star break, remains unbroken.
“Hell yeah, for sure,” Wood said. “Everybody believes we can make a deep playoff run. I think nobody wants to really see us in a seven-game series. So, we’re confident. We would love to get a home-court advantage going into the playoffs.”
Twitter: @ESefko
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