Christian Wood gets it.
When you went undrafted, have been cut not once or twice but four times, played for a lot of bad teams and lost 153 of the 222 NBA games you have been in, you get it.
That’s why when Mavericks’ coach Jason Kidd said the new big man on the scene would start out as a sixth man, it didn’t cause Wood to say something he’d regret or even take offense.
He rolled with the punches, knowing full well that in a long NBA season, things have a way of changing a lot. And when you’ve tasted defeat as much as he has, you learn a lot, including about humility.
“You lose a certain amount of times, you start getting motivated to win,” Wood said. “Even when I was with Houston, my main thing was trying to win as many games as possible. But things didn’t turn out the way I wanted them to.
“(This is) a huge opportunity for me finally being with a winning organization. If you look at my career, I’ve been on a lot of losing teams, so I have a huge opportunity to prove myself and prove I can do well on a winning team.”
Whether it be as a sixth man, a starter or some kind of hybrid.
In clarifying some things after the first practice of training camp on Tuesday, Kidd said that things will remain fluid throughout camp and into the season.
“With C-Wood, I haven’t really talked to him about that,” he said of the sixth-man role. “I know my assistants have. We use the term, you can check in with six minutes (gone). That means you didn’t start.
“And so, we’ll get to talking about his role as we go forward. I’ve never coached him. So I want to first see what he’s capable of doing with different lineups and different combinations in preseason. And then we’ll make a decision on where he’s going to play – if it’s coming off the bench or starting. But right now, he will not start. We’ll use the (preseason) to look at a lot of different combinations.”
Last season in Houston was typical of the way things have gone for Wood. He was a full-time starter on a team that went 20-62. Gone were James Harden, Russell Westbrook and any hope of contending.
“Guys wanted trades and I was left by myself,” Wood said.
Then, the rebuild began and Wood was jettisoned to the Mavericks for last season’s first-round draft pick.
So Wood, who is entering the final season of his contract, immersed himself in the practice gym and worked with Mavericks’ assistant coach Sean Sweeney.
“That guy has been killing me in the gym,” Wood said. “I’ve been here two months, three months before anybody got here and been doing one-on-one workouts with him. I’m in pretty much the best shape of my life right now. So thank you, Sean Sweeney.”
Wood knew Sweeney when he was in Detroit in 2019-20, when Wood had his breakout season that led to him signing the three-year, $41-million deal he now about to finish. And now, reunited with Sweeney, Wood said: “It’s a totally different feel. I wouldn’t say he’s calmed down. He’s still a little crazy, but that’s just how he is. He’s passionate and I’m passionate and he motivates me. And I love that.”
And as for the starter’s role or being a sixth man, Wood, who turned 27 on Tuesday and was serenaded after practice by his teammates, is more interested in finishing games than starting them.
“I haven’t looked into it that much,” he said. “I’m motivated either way, off the bench or starting. We’re not really worried about who starts the game. We’re more concerned about who’s finishing the game. And if people were asking about how he would feel about coming off the bench, I’m not too worried. It’s something that most likely will happen in talks with extensions and talks with free agency, but during the season, it’s not going to (have any impact).”
What won’t change is Wood getting a chance to work with Luka Dončić, who treats his big men like gold. The point guard is an assist machine, especially in the pick-and-roll.
“I’m really excited,” Wood said. “I don’t compare Luka and James Harden together, but they have similar playing styles. And I excelled when I played with a pass-first, playmaking point guard. And I think Luka is that.
“And even better than what he shows. I think he’s a top-five player right now. And me and him together should be fun.”
As for the role off the bench, Wood probably won’t spend a lot of time on the court with JaVale McGee, penciled in right now as the starting center.
But, again, everything is on the table, Kidd said. And Wood’s 3-point shooting ability keeps a lot of options open.
“I think one has to be able to shoot,” Kidd said of playing two big men together. “If both can’t shoot, then it doesn’t work.
“(But) you can put him in the post. On a switch for sure . . . he can roll down and he’ll be able to punish a smaller player in the post, for sure.”
Kidd also believes winning trumps so many things when it comes to players buying into their roles.
“I think he said it: he’s excited to win,” Kidd said of Wood. “If you’re talking about winning, you got to sometimes sacrifice. Great players sacrifice because they can shoot all the balls and not have to pass. That doesn’t mean they’re going to win.
“There’s no trickery to this – put him in position to be successful and then participate on the defensive end. I want C-Wood to be himself. I’m not asking him to do anything he hasn’t done. Team defense is something we’ll help him with as we go along. I don’t need him to be the microwave (off the bench). I just need him to be C-Wood.”
Twitter: @Esefko
Share and comment