One night after saying he’d like to be more involved in Houston’s offense, Rockets big man Christian Wood took just five shots in Sunday’s loss at Golden State, and none in the first half. That figure was easily the lowest attempts total by the 26-year-old in two seasons as a starter, and he did not return to the game in his typical spot to conclude the first half. (Wood did return to start the second half.)
In real-time, speculation swirled on social media as to whether Wood might have been attempting to make a point by not shooting, or if he had simply allowed his frustration to take over. Others wondered if Houston head coach Stephen Silas could have been making his own point by allowing KJ Martin to finish the first half in Wood’s usual spot.
In postgame comments, Silas gave much of the credit to Warriors veteran Draymond Green and didn’t address whether there was more to it.
“It was hard because Draymond Green was guarding him, and usually it’s a little bit easier to get him into actions,” Silas said of Wood. “It was frustrating. He was frustrated, I was frustrated. He came back in the second half and did a better job, and I was proud of him for that.”
But veteran center Daniel Theis, who starts next to Wood in the Houston frontcourt, may have hinted at something more. “We need him to play good for us to win,” Theis said in response to a Wood-related question.
“It’s a team,” Theis said as his answer continued. “We’ve just got to stay together. We’ve played nine games out of 82. It’s a long season. We can’t just start questioning everything now, and then put our heads down.”
Wood, who is averaging 17.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game this season, was not made available to media after Sunday’s game.
— Salman Ali (@SalmanAliNBA) November 8, 2021
Despite playing much more competitively in recent days, the Rockets (1-9) have now lost eight straight games, which understandably could put anyone on or surrounding the team in a foul mood. They will have Monday as an off day before returning to practice Tuesday and playing Wednesday at home versus Detroit, which happens to be Wood’s former team. The Pistons are also 1-8, which could provide Houston with as good an opportunity as any to finally end their prolonged slide.
On paper, those dynamics should make it easier for Wood and the team to recharge and hit the reset button after a frustrating road trip. But his on-court demeanor will be watched closely after Sunday’s curious showing.
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