For years, the Houston Rockets were unable to go beyond and reach the finals, despite James Harden’s elite offense. Even if the management tried their best to surround the Beard with talented players, like Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook, and complementary pieces, Space City always fell short in the end.
All of their failed attempts finally boiled over during this season when Harden forced his way out of Houston via a four-team blockbuster trade that landed him in Brooklyn. With the Beard out of the lineup, is there any hope left for the Rockets to be a serious contender in the Western Conference?
Turns out, the answer is clearer than some people expect. For starters, John Wall has been contributing significant numbers ever since he arrived from a trade that sent Westbrook to the Wizards. His backcourt partner, Victor Oladipo, is playing like he’s an All-Star again while DeMarcus Cousins is providing decent stats from the bench.
Aside from these new additions, the biggest revelation for the Rockets this season has been Christian Wood. The 6’10” big man recently signed a three-year $41 million contract during the offseason. Before this development, Wood spent five seasons playing for different teams in the NBA and the NBA Development League back then. It wasn’t until last season when Wood finally got the starting center job for the Detroit Pistons after Andre Drummond was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
During his last stint in Detroit, Wood posted a 3.2 box plus/minus score while averaging 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds. He also showcased his range by nailing 38% of his shots from downtown. This season, Wood is making a tremendous leap from where he left off in Detroit. His cards are also tagging along for the ride, as evidenced by a big jump in Wood’s card stock. Check these three reasons why you should be investing in Christian Wood rookie cards now before they potentially spike again.
Wood’s numbers are positively insane
As mentioned earlier, Wood averaged 13.1 points in 62 games for the Detroit Pistons last year. This season, the Rockets’ big man is taking a huge leap in every stat.
He’s currently posting 23.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.6 blocks per contest. Wood is also hitting 62% of his two-point field goals while connecting 38% of his 4.7 attempts from downtown per game.
Should the @NBA be on watch for a new Big 3 here in Houston?
"Take Notice" – @Chriswood_5 #NBAAllStar
Christian Wood tonight 27 PTS / 9 REB
He spoke with our @cayleighgriffin after the #Rockets 126-112 win over the Pelicans pic.twitter.com/JMfXWWHbQS
— AT&T SportsNet™ | SW (@ATTSportsNetSW) January 31, 2021
Looking at Wood’s advanced stats, he’s garnering a 3.2 box plus/minus rating this season. In comparison, Wall and Oladipo have 0.4 and -0.3 respectively. These scores clearly show Wood is the better player among Houston’s starters. If he continues this trend, his rookie cards will incur more value in the card market.
He’s an All-Star in the making
During a game between Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James can be heard instructing Marc Gasol to contain Wood because’s trouble. If you’ve got James, the greatest player of this generation, acknowledging your game, it’s only a matter of time before that All-Star invitation comes knocking on the door.
“ok ok….hold him. hold his ass…[that] guy is trouble, hold him down.”
love this. LeBron knows how good Christian Wood has gotten. pic.twitter.com/4T3idlIjxt
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 11, 2021
That can soon become a reality. Wood is currently enjoying a resurgence, not only in his on-court performance, but in popularity among the fans as well. Only Nikola Jokic and Rudy Gobert are seen as the better centers in the Western Conference right now.
The Joker is already a lock-in, thanks to his impressive performance this season. As it stands, Wood can give a Gobert a good fight for that All-Star spot because of this huge leap this season.
Christian Wood rookie cards are hard to come by
Wood entered the NBA during the 2015-16 season as an undrafted rookie for the Philadelphia 76ers. Unlike his contemporaries who were picked from the draft, the market doesn’t have a lot of options when it comes to Christian Wood rookie cards because of his undrafted status.
As stated by the Law of Supply and Demand, the latter rises when there isn’t much of the former. In Wood’s case, it’s his rookie cards. He currently has two available in the market – a 2015-16 Donruss Base rookie card and The Rookies insert. These two cards are currently commanding a price between $65 and $100. Fans can expect this amount to go up if Wood continues to be this good or if he nabs a spot in the All-Star game.
It’s best to keep an eye on Wood and how he’s playing for Houston. Keep in mind that the better he gets, the higher his card value will be. Better start hunting Wood’s cards now before you get left behind.
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