It looks like Jason Kidd has heard what many Dallas Mavericks fans have been urging him to do to help Luka Doncic ever since the beginning of the season: start Christian Wood.
Wood has been largely used by Kidd off the bench, though he opted to start him during their back-to-back losses against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves in the absence of Dwight Powell due to injury.
Surprisingly, though, Kidd started Wood once again in their second straight game against the Timberwolves on Wednesday. Dwight Powell returned from injury, but he was moved to the bench instead. It marked the first time the Mavs coach gave their prized offseason acquisition a real starting nod without injury being an issue for the team, and it could very well be a recurring option moving forward.
According to Kidd, it'll be beneficial for Dallas if they can get Wood to have more playing time alongside Doncic on the starting lineup.
“The more minutes he can get with that [starting] group, it puts us in a good situation,” Kidd said, per Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News.
Christian Wood wasn't able to put up his usual numbers, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds and two blocks. However, his presence alone has helped lessen the pressure on Luka Doncic. He's just a threat down low, and so the Timberwolves couldn't let him unattended and dominate the pain.
It remains to be see if Jason Kidd will still bring back Wood to the bench, but if they find success with him on the starting unit, it could very well be a permanent move.
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