Season after season the eyes are always on Luka Doncic. The Slovenian star has broken into the NBA like a supernova, he unfolds a level of play and puts up numbers that put him on the level of the tallest legends in history in many ways. At the same time, the Dallas Mavericks They have not been able to build a team that lives up to their figure, sharing the field with secondary players and significantly raising their performance.
After the departure of Jalen Brunson, the Mavs chose to focus their efforts on strengthening the interior game. A different bet than expected, which meant the arrival of JaVale McGee and Christian Wood. The latter, from the Houston Rockets, has a lot to prove and had yet to find himself in a winning context like the one he was about to see in Dallas.
But a team doesn’t live with hope and potential, at least not in the harsh context of the Western Conference. However, in its early stages Season 2022-2023 the senses that the The Luka Doncic-Christian Wood combination was positive. YesIf it’s too early to say its arrival has been an unmitigated success, which time will tell, there are reasons to believe the interior could be equal to the star.
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Since Lukas landed in the NBA, it has been reiterated that the best ally to take advantage of his game was a secondary operator. A postulate that has been proven in past Playoffs. It is also true that one of the branches of the Slovenian game is the instant lock, hence Maxi Kleber it’s so important in Dallas. A preference for 2 vs. 2 which requires you to have a partner who can set good screens, but who is both an aerial threat and also a jumper. Christian Wood meets both conditions.
In the only two regular season games the Mavs have played, both have thrown 9 straight shutouts. From this small sample the balance was 2 hits per 5 attempts, what to add two personal fouls taken by Wood when he was about to finish in the hoop. The 3 failures They were distributed as follows: two 3-pointers above the boat by the Slovenian and another outside shot that missed from inside.
In short, the balance is positive in the small sample they have left in the first two commitments and the feeling is that if the volume increases, so will the picks to be more productive.
Doncic doesn’t need to be discovered, he’s one of the most versatile and creative playmakers in the league, but Wood is a bit more of an unknown.
The former Pistons and Rockets forward performs very well on his feet and near the rim, though he suffers when he has to produce with the ball. Something you don’t have to worry too much about having the Slovenian by your side. And the data reflects that with 2.00 points for possession in its situations pick and pop 1.33 inches pick&roll and 57.1% in catch & shoot
The chemistry between the two seems to have been instant. In the 31 minutes they’ve shared the court so far, they’ve posted an offensive rating of 147.6 for +32.0 net score, is defense (115.6) the only downside. These three records with the passage of weeks and opponents will stabilize, although a good start is important. Together the Mavs’ success has grown 54.5% shooting from the fieldwhich is equivalent to a 69.1% true shooting percentage (real shot).
In the absence of a secondary coach on the level of Luka Doncic, Christian Wood is the excellent alternative to confirm himself as the ideal rider for the Slovenian in this regular phase. If the offices of the Dallas Mavericks manage to strengthen the lineup through transfer, it would not be impossible for the Texans to take off permanently from April.
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