OKC Thunder key no. 3 – Christian Wood is MIP candidate
Someone will have to explain to me one day why the Detroit Pistons let Christian Wood walk in free agency for nothing.
If there was an inkling of bad blood then why not trade him last year prior to the offseason? Former Thunder executive Troy Weaver brought in Jerami Grant as the replacement but presumably the choice to move on from Wood was already in place.
Grant is a year and a half older and his numbers (see below) are remarkably similar: 23.6 points and 5.9 rebounds.
The Pistons paid Grant $60.million dollars on a three-year term while the Rockets also offered Wood a three-year term. The big difference is the youngster will make $19 million less ($41 million) over the term.
Wood is averaging a double-double of 23.6 points and 10.7 rebounds while shooting 37.9 from deep. He’s equally adept at playing in the paint or stretching the floor.
Gilgeous-Alexander is getting plenty of talk about vying for the Most Improved Player and his toughest candidate may well be Christian Wood.
All stats courtesy of basketball reference or NBA Stats.
Game specifics:
Records:
- Thunder: 8-10
- Rockets: 9-9
The Venue: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Tipoff: 8:00 PM ET | 7:00 PM CT
TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma | NBA League Pass
Radio: WWLS 98.1 FM OKC
Odds:
Injuries:
Thunder:
- George Hill missed the last three games and won’t play versus the Rockets.
- Ty Jerome (ankle) – out indefinitely
- Trevor Ariza (personal) out indefinitely
More from Thunderous Intentions
- Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
- Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
- 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
- Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
- Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder
Rockets:
- David Nwaba injured his ankle in the match versus the Pelicans and won’t play on Monday.
- Dante Exum is dealing with a right calf strain with an expected return date of late March.
History:
The teams have played each other 223 times in regular-season history with the Thunder possessing the advantage (114 – 109). Last season the teams played three times with the Thunder winning two of three.
The Thunder tied Houston with 44 wins last season but didn’t get the fourth seed because the Rockets won the Southwest Division (not that it mattered because all teams were playing in the Disney bubble).
Although this is the first meeting between the clubs they were supposed to open the season against each other but COVID-19 and injuries to the Rockets caused that game to be postponed.
Enjoy the game and check back tomorrow for grades and three takeaways.