With new centers Christian Wood and DeMarcus Cousins, the Houston Rockets will be much larger to start 2020-21 than they were at the end of last season — when there wasn’t a traditional big man in the rotation.
But that doesn’t mean that their style of play is likely to dramatically change. At his introductory press conference on Wednesday, Wood said he had spoken with new head coach Stephen Silas (replacing Mike D’Antoni), and Silas said the “same five-out offense” would be in place.
More specifically, here’s what Wood said regarding Silas:
I talked to Coach Silas already. Me and him have a relationship before, with me with the [Charlotte] Hornets when he was an assistant coach. He said he is still keeping the same five-out offense. That’s key, with my ability to shoot the ball. I think it’s perfect. It’s a great fit. And in pick-and-roll… we can do great things.
It’s just a style of play. I like to get out and run. I know the Houston Rockets like to get out and run. The way James [Harden] and other guys play around him, I think I can be a great fit.
Wood shot 38.6% on 3-pointers last season, and Cousins is a 33.2% shooter from 3-point range. With both big men capable shooters from distance, that should keep the floor sufficiently spaced to allow driving lanes for Houston’s All-Star guards (Harden and Russell Westbrook).
On the other end of the court, Wood believes he’s athletic enough to switch onto perimeter players — which has been a hallmark of Houston’s coverages in recent years — while also offering traditional “defensive big man” values, such as rim protection. Among his comments:
My ability to switch off on screens, switch onto a guard and being able to defend them, being able to block shots… I think my game brings that to the Houston Rockets.
An athletic 6-foot-10 big man with a 7-foot-4 wingspan, Wood tallied 13.1 points (56.7% FG, 38.6% on 3-pointers) and 6.3 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game in Detroit last season. He is only 25 years old, which gives Houston — one of the NBA’s oldest teams last season — both a short-term frontcourt upgrade and a key building block for future years.
Perhaps the best part is Wood might not be done improving. After the Pistons traded starting center Andre Drummond in early February, Wood took advantage of a larger role by averaging 22.3 points (56.2% FG, 41.0% on 3-pointers) and 9.5 rebounds in 34.1 minutes per game over the remaining 15 games of Detroit’s 2019-20 season. That’s the form Wood wants to hold, now that he’s joining forces with Harden and Westbrook.
“Confidence is a major factor in the NBA,” Wood said. “In the NBA, you have to… try to be better than everybody on the court. That’s just my thing. I bring my ability to space the floor. I can put the ball on the floor. I can drive with the best of them in the league. I can shoot with the best of them in the league. With James’ ability to be able to knock down shots and score at a high rate, I think I can be a good second option.”
Training camp for Wood and the rest of the 2020-21 Rockets begins next Tuesday, Dec. 1, at Toyota Center in downtown Houston.
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