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Rockets happily surprised by positional versatility of Christian Wood

ben dubose
·3 min read

When the Houston Rockets acquired Christian Wood in the 2020 offseason, the thought was that he would primarily function as an athletic center. While he certainly has done that at times in the 2020-21 season, he’s also proven adept at playing alongside Kelly Olynyk in the frontcourt.

In that arrangement, it’s typically Olynyk that has handled the more bruising and physical opposing big men, with Wood often playing more on the perimeter versus power forwards. In comments made over the weekend, head coach Stephen Silas indicated that Wood’s success at playing both roles had come as something of a pleasant surprise.

When asked about Wood’s positional versatility, Silas said:

I would say I had initially envisioned him being more of a five, who can slide to the four occasionally, but more of a five who can take advantage of the gifts that he has, as far as picking and popping and rolling and finishing, and making it hard on the defensive five. He’s proven over time he can roll and seal switches, and play against switches. That was the concern going in, as far as would he be able to be not taken out of the game by switching. He’s proven that he can do that.

His versatility has not necessarily been a surprise, but his positional versatility has been a little bit of a surprise. I’m comfortable with the four and the five.

That could potentially make the case for retaining Olynyk, whom the Rockets will have Bird rights to help re-sign. Olynyk is averaging 18.2 points (57.4% FG, 37.8% on 3-pointers), 8.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game with the Rockets, primarily as a starter next to Wood.

“The kind of push and pull and the versatility between him and Kelly has been intriguing and has been productive for both guys,” Silas said. ‘It makes you think a little bit differently about moving forward, what would be effective and what would not. Both guys are so versatile. They can stretch the floor and also play in the paint. They both can kind of handle the ball, as well. They play a little bit similarly. Moving forward, we’re going to have to see if that’s something we want to continue to explore.”

Olynyk was acquired on March 25 and joined Silas’ starting lineup on April 5, where he’s remained ever since. In Wood’s 15 games starting alongside Olynyk, the 25-year-old is averaging 21.2 points and 9.3 rebounds over 34.1 minutes per game, and he’s shooting 38.9% on 3-pointers. That would be the highest 3-point percentage of any single season of Wood’s NBA career, and it likely plays into his effectiveness on the perimeter.

The Rockets (16-49) still have seven games remaining in the 2020-21 campaign to further gauge the pairing, though Wood suggested after Sunday’s loss versus New York that his immediate playing status is in some doubt due to ongoing injury concerns with his right quad and ankle.

With or without Wood, Houston resumes play Wednesday with a visit from Philadelphia. Tipoff at Toyota Center is set for 7:00 p.m. Central.

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