With so many big powerhouses in the league struggling right now, the Dallas Mavericks seem to be floating under the radar. Though the team has a bright future in Luka Doncic, if you look at their current standing, they are 9th in the Western Conference. With a 9-7 record, the Mavericks are barely making solid headway so far.
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And when you look at the schedule the Mavericks have had up until now, they have lost games to teams that should?ve been easy to defeat. But unfortunately, Dallas ended up dropping some of those games which has led to such a record for the team.
Christian Wood voices his concern with the Mavericks
The Mavericks coaching staff has been experimenting a bit with the team?s starting five. But one player who has voiced his concerns but has yet to start for the team is Christian Wood. Wood was traded by the Houston Rockets to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for a group of players and draft picks.
Wood was the Rockets? starting center and was making a name for himself but has not been able to move past the bench here in Dallas. Wood said, ?I would love to play more. I?ve voiced that several times, but I just play my role.?
Wood?s statement managed to irk some fans who decided to slam him on social media. One fan tweeted, ?He got a problem every where he go.? While another fan commented, ?Talks too much. Hence, the multiple trades.??
https://twitter.com/DeeJones_/status/1594720437539315713?s=20&t=byQVAgolITmi1bOjwdj5BQ
https://twitter.com/Megaprikibalz/status/1594712513136005121?s=20&t=eKEEPt-iTam7jH610kv2cw
Here are some more reactions from Twitter.
He's a poor defender. Playing Woods, Luka, & Dinwiddie all together heavily is a defensive nightmare for the Mavs.
— CMDunk (@CmDunk1982) November 21, 2022
https://twitter.com/MyParlaysTakeLs/status/1594722034344464390?s=20&t=byQVAgolITmi1bOjwdj5BQ
For those saying wood should be starting is tweaking. He’s literally one of the worst defenders in the league and Luka is not a good defender himself. That’s why wood is coming off the bench. J Kidd just need to give him starter minutes off the bench simple.
— Jay Richardson (@YamGotDrip_573) November 21, 2022
Buddy can’t set a proper screen and is the worst defensive big in basketball pic.twitter.com/Vz9K3nLKdZ
— “Knicks Hater” OG Anunoby Addict (@PlayoffBoundNYK) November 21, 2022
Christian Wood was on the rise to be the team’s first option on offense when he was with the Houston Rockets. He became consistent with his scoring and offensive rebounding for the team. But the Dallas Mavericks may not be utilizing him to his full potential.?
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A Luka Doncic and Christian Wood duo?
Wood has had some good games coming off the bench for Dallas. That may be one reason why Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has chosen to keep him on the bench. The team flourishes whenever Luka is playing on the floor but not so much when he’s resting on the bench.?
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Wood packs a good offensive punch and can score in bunches when the team’s scoring leader is catching his breath with some rest. So far, Wood is averaging 16.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 1.0 APG while coming off the bench. A case could be made for Wood being the team’s second-best player after Luka Doncic.?
Let’s see if Jason Kidd experiments with the starting lineup once again and puts Wood in. You never know, Doncic and Wood may go on to form a great duo for the Mavs.