Houston Rockets
Christian Wood
Few players have had a more interesting beginning of a career than Christian Wood. He burst on the scene back in 2015 as the prospect out of UNLV who had a huge draft viewing party on the Las Vegas Strip expecting to go in the first round and ultimately went undrafted. Wood turned that disappointment into determination by impressing in the 2015 Summer League and eventually earning a roster spot with the Philadelphia 76ers. Since then, Wood has bounced around the League like a beach ball at a Dave Matthews concert – he’s been on five teams in five years.
In the last two seasons, Wood averaged 12.1 points (37% from 3), 5.9 rebounds, and 1.0 block per game while playing 19 minutes per night. Wood was especially impressive down the stretch last year, where he averaged 20 points in the last 20 games and finished 8th for Most Improved Player. Wood’s steady improvement paid off this offseason by earning a big contract from the Houston Rockets.
Similar to Curry and Donic, James Harden draws a lot of attention on the floor which should provide ample opportunity for Wood to pick his scoring moments on the offensive end. With his length and ability to defend multiple positions, you could see Wood playing crunch-time minutes at either the 5 or the 4 position. Expect him to generate a lot of Most Improved Player noise again this season.