The Philadelphia 76ers should already start evaluating potential free agents this summer and one former player should be on their list.
Christian Wood isn’t one of the famous names that was included in the Philadelphia 76ers movement known as “The Process” a few years back. He hasn’t been a particularly popular name in the NBA until his very impressive outing with the New Orleans Pelicans against the Atlanta Hawks.
He finished the game with 32 minutes of playing time, 23 points, nine rebounds, one assist, three steals, six blocks, two turnovers and one foul, while shooting 7-9 from the field, 1-3 shooting on 3-pointers and 8-14 on free throws. Yet despite this impressive outing, Wood has only played in 15 games this season and only saw double-digit minutes one other time this season when he was a member of the Milwaukee Bucks.
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Wood started the season with the Bucks, but was waived to make room for Tim Frazier after the Malcolm Brogdon injury. Wood has never found his place in the NBA. He’s played in a total of 45 games in three seasons (didn’t play in the NBA in the 2017-18 season) and has unimpressive career averages. He’s averaged 3.6 points and 2.4 rebounds, while shooting 34.6 percent from downtown with four teams over his career.
For those thinking that the game where he broke out is a surprise or a outlier, think again. He’s dominated in the G-League in the past four seasons, showing steady growth.
| Season | Tm | G | GS | MP | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | DEL | 32 | 22 | 28.8 | .529 | .253 | .609 | .707 | 9.4 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 17.3 |
| 2016-17 | SWR | 18 | 16 | 30.0 | .506 | .235 | .571 | .725 | 10.1 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 19.6 |
| 2017-18 | DEL | 45 | 42 | 33.1 | .541 | .321 | .609 | .796 | 10.4 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 23.3 |
| 2018-19 | WIS | 28 | 28 | 35.3 | .559 | .265 | .624 | .756 | 14.1 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 29.3 |
| Career | 123 | 108 | 32.0 | .539 | .281 | .608 | .758 | 10.9 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 22.6 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/27/2019.
He’s the ideal mold of a modern stretch big. At 6-foot-10 and 214 lbs, he’s solid defensively and can attack both inside and out. Right now, he’s with a the perfect team in the Pelicans who are in full tank mode. He can get playing time easily enough and when given legit minutes, he can show what he can do in this small sample size.
Granted it’s only one game near the end of the season, but if he can produce at this ridiculously high level or even a moderate level, he should be on the Sixers radar. How he finishes the season should dictate how much interest he gets on the free agent market.
The Sixers have Joel Embiid and Jonah Bolden as the only big men on contracts past this season, so there are spots for him. He’s familiar with head coach Brett Brown’s system and he can play either big man position.
It’s great to see Wood finally get a chance to shine. Now that he’s broken out, can he continue this positive momentum to finish the season? If he does, then he should be on the Philadelphia 76ers free agent radar when the time comes.