Christian Wood calls Shaq a ‘casual’ for not knowing his game (Video)

Christian Wood made fun of Shaq for not being aware of his hot start.

While trading James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets has some thinking that the Houston Rockets are punting on the immediate future with eyes far down the road, the play of sensational big man Christian Wood has confirmed that the Rockets will fight tooth and nail for victories all season long. Wood’s performance in a win against the San Antonio Spurs last night even made Shaquille O’Neal a believer.

While Shaq was apologizing to Wood for being unfamiliar with his game and how good he can be, Wood took the time to get some shots in at him, jokingly calling him a “casual” fan.

https://twitter.com/CBSSportsNBA/status/1349917735560556549

Christian Wood looks like a long-term building block in Houston

Wood bounced around the league as an undrafted free agent for years before finally getting some consistent playing time with the Detroit Pistons. After leaving Detroit for Houston’s three-year deal, Wood has emerged as the best big man Houston has had in some time, averaging 23.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game, all the while shooting 53 percent from the field and 34 percent from 3-point range.

Wood was already a featured member of the offense with Harden, and his numbers should continue to increase without him. With John Wall back to running the point and new acquisition Victor Oladipo not in need of a ton of touches, look for Wood to score at an even more prolific rate without Harden.

It’s not unreasonable for some fans to be unaware of Wood due to his relative anonymity prior to the second half of last season, but he is quickly letting the whole league know that he plans on staying in Houston for a long time, a thought that could be scary for the rest of the league if he keeps improving in Stephen Silas’ offense.