The Dallas Mavericks addressed their biggest problem from the 2021-22 season with the Christian Wood trade, and based on early evidence, the big man and Luka Doncic could be a match made in basketball heaven.
While it's easy to overlook Wood when talking about the best big men in the NBA today, there is no doubt that he has proven to be among the elites. In the past two seasons with the Houston Rockets, he is actually just one of six NBA players to average at least 19 points and nine rebounds per game on 50 percent shooting. The 26-year-old joins the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns and Domantas Sabonis, per Stat Muse.
Players to average 19 PPG, 9 RPG on 50 FG% in the last 2 seasons:
Giannis
Embiid
Jokic
KAT
Sabonis
Christian Wood(Submitted by @NBAMuse24) pic.twitter.com/xKclOjxGRk
— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 16, 2022
The Mavs could really use a legitimate inside threat who can also dominate the paint and get rough with other top NBA big men. The Golden State Warriors exposed that weakness in the West Finals, and so it was made clear Dallas has to get an upgrade.
Article Continues BelowEven better for Luka Doncic, Christian Wood can space the floor with his shooting. The new Mavs center averaged 40 percent on catch-and-shoot triples in 2021-22, which should bode well for the Slovenian who attracts a lot of attention when he has the ball.
Christian Wood shot 40% on catch and shoot threes this season.
Luka’s new pick and pop partner. pic.twitter.com/aGKspqs7l3
— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 16, 2022
If Luka can thrive with Dwight Powell at the middle, imagine what he can do with Wood starting at center and catching lobs from him, as well as wide-open shots from the distance.
Of course all of this is only in paper until they actually play together. However, there is no doubt things are looking great for the Mavs.