Christian Wood is officially part of the Houston Rockets and he arrived making big statements with his new team. The former Detroit Pistons big man is confident he can do a good job in Houston and has already established a good relationship with James Harden, the star of the team.
Amid trade rumors regarding Harden and Russell Westbrook, the Rockets have made some interesting moves in recent days. Now it remains to be seen what is going to happen with their backcourt. Wood, though, is confident he can make a big impact on the team alongside Harden, as he expressed in his introductory press conference.
“I bring my ability to space the floor. I can put the ball on the floor. I can drive. I think I finish with the best of them in the league. I think I can shoot with the best of them in the league. With James’ ability to knock down shots and score at a high rate, I think I could be a good second option for them.
“I played a few pickup games this summer with James. I kind of got a good relationship with him. That’s about it. Also Ben McLemore.”
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This is certainly curious, to say the least. Harden was playing pickup games in the offseason and he surely had a good time playing with Wood, but he’s just ignoring Russell Westbrook, who is still part of the team. Even though he requested a trade, Westbrook reportedly doesn’t have trade value and that could keep him in Houston for another season.
Wood can be a good addition to the Rockets, who also signed DeMarcus Cousins in free agency, but putting himself ahead of Russ is a stretch. The Rockets are entering a challenging season and they’ll need all the help they can get to compete. That’s why they brought Wood and that’s what he’s willing to do.
