2015 Draft Profile - Christian Wood

Strengths
Wood is a bit of a physical specimen at 6'11" with long arms and tremendous agility for someone that size. He possesses a vast amount of upside because of his blend of youth, physical tools and skill set. At the power forward position, Wood is able to put the ball on the deck and attack his defender off the dribble. He has excellent touch once he gets in the paint, which helps allow him to convert tough, contested finishes inside.

His ability as a capable three point shooter makes him an extremely tough cover for opponents. When he faces up his defender, he can shoot the jumper if given space or use his quickness to attack off the dribble, especially if the defense closes out hard on him. Overall, he's a pretty crafty scorer when he gets into the paint and his versatility can cause opponents plenty of problems. Wood does a good job on the boards altogether, but he has a knack for snagging offensive rebounds and creating second chance opportunities. He also has a pretty quick second bounce that allows him to go right back up after gathering the rebound and finish off plays.

Weaknesses
Wood's three point shooting ability is a great asset to his game, but it can also be a major detriment. He's a capable shooter, but needs to become more consistent with his jump shot. Far too often, Wood floats out on the perimeter instead of playing to his strength of attacking inside. He has a tendency to settle for long jumpers that are contested well because he gets tunnel vision. This can be attributed to an average feel for the game, which may improve with age. Improving his decision making will be a key component in his development.

The defensive end is still a work in progress for Wood, who has an inconsistent motor. When he gives great effort, his potential on defense rises to the surface as he's able to block shots. However, when he doesn't, he'll get beat up the floor or on the glass by his man and give up some easy buckets. He needs to improve his strength, most notably in his lower body. From time to time Wood will get pushed out of position on defense, on the boards or when trying to establish post position on offense due to a weak base. A stronger lower body would make it easier for him to battle down low on a nightly basis at the next level.

NBA Player Comparison
There aren't many NBA players with Wood's physical gifts that play the way he does. John Henson has a similar body, but is far superior on the defensive end and doesn't use his face-up game like Wood does. Offensively, Wood's face-up style has some similarities to Anthony Davis. Of course, he's a very poor man's Davis on offense, but being able to knock down midrange and perimeter jumpers at his size combined with his ability to put the ball on the floor and attack out of the high-post draws some resemblance.

Wood's ceiling is obviously far lower than that of Davis -- who is already one of the top players in the NBA today -- but even displaying some offensive similarities shows how unique his skill set and versatility are at that size. He's a work in progress, especially on defense, but if Wood fulfills his upside, he could be a special player that causes opponents a lot of matchup problems.

Statistics
PPG: 15.0 RPG: 9.9 APG: 1.2 SPG: 0.3 BPG: 2.8 FG%: 47.8 FT%: 73.6 3PT%: 25.4

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