The Dallas Mavericks are currently in the midst of a three-game winning streak, buoyed by Luka Doncic's torrid offensive performances. In the Mavs' eight games thus far, Doncic has posted insane averages of 36.0 points, 8.8 boards, and 8.6 dimes, functioning as the be-all, end-all of the Mavs' offense. The addition of Christian Wood in the offseason was meant to give Doncic a reliable second option, but Wood has been limited to a sixth-man role, and he hasn't yet earned the trust of the coaching staff in crunch time.
Over the Mavs' past three wins, Jason Kidd gave Wood an average of 23.3 minutes of gametime, a far cry from the 31.4 minutes he averaged in the two seasons he spent with the Houston Rockets. Mavs fans will also remember that despite being on fire in their season opener against the Phoenix Suns, Kidd opted to roll with Maxi Kleber as the nominal center instead of Wood.
Thus, fans ask, what must Christian Wood do to be given a bigger involvement in the Mavs' gameplan? According to Kevin Gray, Mavs insider for 105.3 The FAN, the answer is simple: Wood must be a more reliable hand on the defensive end.
“Spoke to a Mavs source yesterday about Christian Wood and was told this about him earning time on the floor through improved defense; it’s not about offensive skill level but being ‘predictable' & ‘consistent' in crucial moments of games to earn additional time on the floor,” Gray wrote.
It remains unclear exactly what Wood has to do to get in Kidd's better graces. Moreover, Mavs fans will turn their nose up on what seems to be an unreasonable rationale behind the 27-year old big man's more limited than expected involvement. According to PBP Stats, the Mavs are better by 4.5 points with Wood on the court, with their defense allowing 2.6 fewer points, albeit in a small sample size.
Perhaps Wood just hasn't gotten accustomed to playing alongside the Mavs' preferred crunch-time core of Doncic, Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Reggie Bullock, as that lineup has posted a dreadful -30.2 net rating in limited action. (The lineup with Maxi Kleber in place of Wood has been even worse, while the starting lineup with JaVale McGee has posted a -15 net rating.)
At the end of the day, Mavs fans will hope that this motivates Christian Wood instead of tanking his morale. The Mavs will need Wood to be as motivated as he can be as they look to build off of their deep playoff run last season and maximize Luka Doncic's prime.
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