Pistons coach Dwane Casey had been warned not to take a chance on Christian Wood. He ignored them. More than that, before Wood became the Rockets’ primary free agent target and starting center, he had a breakthrough season with the Pistons, showing no signs of professionalism issues that Casey was warned to avoid.
“It started last summer,” Casey said. “In the summer before he came here (and) that fall, he was working out in the volunteer workouts and kicking everybody's behind and you could just see it. But everybody's calling around the country, don't take him, leave him along, da, da, da. I never saw that, never experienced it, never saw it. I just asked Christian to meet me halfway, and he did and then some.
“So, I was proud of the way he took himself through the year, and you could just see the growth. He’s maturing and did so right here. When he had his opportunity to start, he took advantage of it. Happy for him, proud of him and to see his growth. The sky’s going to be the limit for the young man. He’s one of the most talented big men in the league. And so, I'm excited for him personally.”
Wood is the Rockets’ leading scorer and rebounder. Casey did not, however, see examples of Wood’s growth on Friday with Wood out of the Rockets’ game in Detroit and the second half of the back-to-back Saturday in Dallas with a sprained ankle.
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January 23, 2021 at 06:53AM
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Rockets’ Christian Wood won over Pistons coach Dwane Casey - Houston Chronicle
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