11-05-2022, 02:38 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-05-2022, 02:46 PM by KillerLeft.)
(11-05-2022, 02:30 PM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: I also don’t think Wood has to be a solo-big in order to get 30 plus minutes and I don’t agree that Wood/Maxi and Wood-Solo Big are the only ways to successfully run an offense.
Oh, I don't think so, either.
But I DO think it gets much, much tougher to feature Wood, offensively, with a traditional big out there with him. Like, MUCH tougher.
Not a deal breaker for stretches. But, I also think there are some teams so smart defensively (see GS in last season's playoffs) that the other ways of creating offense which at times might look unbeatable (Luka/Powell pick and roll, just for example) might not be effective enough.
And, I think some (most?) of those same teams will be smart enough to FEAST if you are stuck in the mindset of having not one but TWO big, slow-footed defenders out there at once. To me, that's "double jeopardy" and makes it more difficult for the others to help them, not less.
So, unless I'm really missing something here, the options become:
A) lose with Christian Wood out there by himself because you couldn't get him to play good enough team defense to exist as a solo big by the time you need him to do that
or
B) lose with Christian Wood on the bench because your entire offense is hoping Luka puts up 55 going one on one
I honestly, truly don't believe combining those strengths and "playing two bigs most of the time" will even be an option when the time comes, and to me, option A seems significantly more attractive, because Wood has all of the attributes necessary to be a good defensive center. It's so obvious. At that position, he has adequate length, and honestly a slight athletic advantage, even.
At forward, those advantages become deficits against pretty much any player a playoff team will throw at him. Imagine "Wood: Forward" matching up with the actual Western Conference opponents for a sec. Can he guard Lebron? Kawhi Leonard? Zion? Jerami Grant? All of those dudes SMOKE him running the floor, changing directions in the half court, etc, etc.