Wood work in progress defending burliest bigs
As matchups with star centers go, the Rockets’ Christian Wood expects his with Nikola Jokic to be among his toughest and, for years to come, most frequent. How often they will go against one another Friday, however, is uncertain.
Wood remains the centerpiece of the Rockets’ rebuilding, with a recent surge in production moving him past the slowdown in his first weeks back from his sprained right ankle. But the Rockets have increasingly assigned Kelly Olynyk to defend the full-sized centers such as the Nuggets’ Jokic, among the MVP frontrunners.
Some of that can be because of Olynyk’s more physical defensive style and greater experience. Some can be motivated by Wood’s greater quickness on the perimeter. But as Wood seeks to improve against the heftiest NBA big men, few will offer a greater challenge than Jokic and his wide-ranging offensive skills.
“I think he’s an all-around player,” Wood said. “He gives de
fenses tough coverages with his passing and his ability to knock down the 3 and his ability to bang down low. He’s a tough cover, but down the road I do (expect many head-to-head matchups) as I start to establish myself in this league, as I think I’ve done a good job of doing. I think you’ll see more battles.”
Wood considered his ability to defend the more powerful centers an area he needed to improve when for the first time in his career he began a season as his team’s starter in the middle. Jokic cannot be considered “traditional,” but he can be a force inside if he chooses.
Though most teams have moved away from posting up regularly, with no team going to the low post as often as many individual players did a few years ago, the Nuggets have the thirdmost post-ups per game, with Jokic posting up inside more often than any other player in the league except the 76ers’ Joel Embiid.
“In the beginning of the year, people would see I was struggling with the more traditional centers,” Wood said. “I’m starting to get into a groove and know to start to bang down low with these guys who are bigger than me. It’s no secret, but I’m starting to figure out the post-ups and contesting on hook shots and just trying to be a better defender down low. And I think I’ve been doing a good job as of late.
“We mix and match. Coach (Stephen Silas) has me guarding the quicker fours so I can switch onto the quicker guards. Kelly does a good job banging with the traditional centers down low. But Kelly has the ability to switch onto guards. That goes far for us.”
Wood on Friday will likely start in a matchup with Aaron Gordon. But just as Wood will have time on Jokic on Friday, he expects to face him and the other larger big men over the years.
“I think it’s something he’ll be able to do,” Silas said. “He’ll have to use his quickness and probably front some. We’ll have to support him, whether it’s digging or double-teaming, or at some point hopefully he’ll be able to kind of play them on his own. If he’s able to use his quickness and force them off the block, it’s a lot easier for him.
“For him at this point, it’s just tough to guard guys down there. It’s tough for anybody to guard somebody one-on-one on the block, in the post.”
Jokic averages six of his 26 points per game on post-ups. But he can be a greater offensive force if teams try to send help, averaging 8.8 assists per game, ranking fourth in the league with by far the most for a center. The Nuggets average 21.9 points per game off Jokic’s assists, more than any other player not playing point guard creates.
“I love his playmaking ability,” Wood said. “If I had to add one thing to my game, I think I would take that away from him: his ability to make everyone around him better.
“In the beginning of the year, I was more scoring and rebounding and not so much getting assists and trying to get other guys involved. Since I came back from injury, I’ve been trying to make a better effort at finding the open guys and turning down a couple of my shots that I think will be a good shot for me (but) a great shot for my teammates.”
Wood has been progressing in other ways. He is coming off consecutive 25-point games for the first time this season. He has had double-doubles in five of his past eight games after getting two in his first seven games since coming back from his ankle injury. He has made 43.8 percent of his 3-pointers in his past six games after making just 25 percent in his first nine games after the injury.
“I’m getting back to myself,” Wood said. “I’m getting back to my rhythm I had before injuries, which is a good feeling. My ankle isn’t nagging me as much as it was when I first came back.”
Few tests will be as difficult as even just part-time assignments on Jokic. There will be plenty more to come.