It’s crazy how much more fun Christian Wood is to watch than nowadays Blake Griffin, his rival at the power forward spot for the Pistons. Well, they were rivals until Griffin went down with an injury. Now Wood is unrivaled.
Back to the comparison. Griffin definitely played his heart out every time he was on the court, and his combination of scoring, passing, and rebounding as a big man was what rightfully led him to be regarded as a star in this league, but it was just sad watching him all hobbled and broken. Wood, meanwhile, is neither hobbled nor broken, and that’s what allows him to combine a surprisingly accurate outside shot with some crazily athletic plays at the basket.
In fact, Wood’s ability to dunk through and over defenders, no matter how many of them happen to be in the vicinity, is reminiscent of Griffin’s early years in the league with the Clippers. It was only later that Griffin became the all-around player that he is today. Wood’s already far along the path of development, having many facets to his game, but the passing is what’s missing for him.
Then again, who’s he going to pass to on this team? He’s the number one scoring option for the team whenever he’s on the court. People should be deferring to him and not the other way around. It’s like when there’s a guy on your pick-up team who’s 6’4″ and can hit jumpers. Just feed him all game and don’t complain when you win.