4. Christian Wood
In the NBA where coaches and general managers can get fired while they’re still under contract, often players are not given a chance to grow. Everyone points to players like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, and Tim Duncan as players who were ready to play from day 1.
Unfortunately, most players are not ready for NBA basketball when they first enter the league. Players such as Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jimmy Butler, were not finished products when they came into the NBA. Christian Wood is the latest example of a player who got better over time.
Wood went undrafted in 2015 before signing with the Philadelphia 76ers. He would bounce around from the G League to the NBA, playing for Charlotte, Milwaukee, and Detroit. On March 7, 2020, while a member of the Detroit Pistons, Wood would open eyes around the league when he scored 30 points and 11 rebounds against Rudy Gobert of the Jazz. In the offseason, Wood signed a three-year deal worth $41 million in a sign and trade with Houston, proving hard work and believing in yourself pays off.
3. Mikal Bridges
In another odd move, the 76ers drafted Bridges in the 2018 draft and traded him to the Phoenix Suns the same night for Zhaire Smith. I’m not sure what Philadelphia saw in Smith, who has had injuries and other obstacles that have stopped him from being a productive NBA player.
Smith isn’t on the 76ers roster anymore while Bridges has become a valuable member of the Phoenix Suns.