NBA Draft 2015: 5 non-lottery players who will bring value
By Brad Rowland
Christian Wood, PF UNLV
Wood is easily the most “off the radar” player among the five athletes profiled in this space. That comes with the territory after playing two seasons in relative obscurity at UNLV, but Wood is a fast-rising prospect in some circles. On the other end, though, he is the one player we’ve covered that could easily fall to the second round.
That would be a mistake.
Wood is quite thin at 6-foot-11 and 216 pounds, but he makes up for that lack of bulk with incredible length and athleticism. He boasts a 7-foot-3 wingspan that allowed the former Runnin’ Rebel to block 2.6 shots per game (in 32.9 minutes) as a sophomore, and he profiles as a big-time rebounder at the next level thanks to 9.8 rebounds per game last season.
Offensively, Wood is an unfinished product, and it will be interesting to see how he fits in the NBA. His shot selection was, at times, horrendous in college, but given that he will enter the league with little-to-no “standing”, it isn’t unreasonable to suggest that he would calm that down as a professional. The skills are there to develop a jump shot, and even if it isn’t an overly potent one, Wood will fill lanes and use his athleticism to create easy baskets as a role player.
In the past, a player with Wood’s athletic tools may have gone quite a bit higher than projected here, and one team could easily fall in love with his gifts in the middle portion of the first round. However, if he does fall to his projection in the 20’s or even outside of the second round, there is tremendous value to be gained.