Houston Rockets: 3 reason why Christian Wood is an All-Star snub

The 2021 NBA All-Star rosters have been released and the Houston Rockets were left out in the cold. Not a single player will be in Atlanta representing the Rockets franchise in the NBA All-Star game for the first time since 2012, the season before James Harden came to Houston.

The NBA is awash in talent and every year there are a handful of players who have a rightful claim to cry snub. While there are plenty of deserving candidates this year for the distinction, Christian Wood needs to raise his voice.

Christian Wood is the Houston Rockets’ All-Star

The unfortunate reality of NBA All-Star voting is that a team’s win-loss record is almost as important as a player’s actual production and the Rockets 11-18 record has no doubt dragged Wood’s candidacy down. However, the last time Christian Wood played the Rockets were 11-10 and firmly in the Western Conference playoff picture.

Since Wood injured his ankle the Rockets haven’t won a game and has given him a real claim to being in the MVP conversation. The NBA community, from fans to coaches, have completely overlooked one of the league’s best players.

Wood shouldn’t lose any sleep over this snub but making All-Star games is important to a player’s future financial earning power. There is an avenue for Christian Wood to feature in the All-Star game as an injury substitute or if a player opts out of the event but it never should have gotten to this point in the first place. These are the three reasons why Christian Wood was an All-Star snub.

Next: Reason #3

Houston Rockets: Christian Wood All-Star snub reason #3:  He has All-Star level impact

The single greatest indicator of a player’s All-Star candidacy is how they affect winning. When Christian Wood is on the court the Rockets have an offensive rating of 112.8 and a defensive rating of 109.6 for a net rating of +3.2.

The Philadelphia 76ers, owners of the best record in the Eastern Conference and the employers of two All-Stars in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, have an offensive rating of 112.6 and a defensive rating of 109.7 for a net rating of +2.9. When Wood is on the court the Rockets are a little bit better than the Sixers.

It’s not a surprise that Wood makes the Rockets better when he plays, but his impact becomes even more striking when you see how they fare when he sits. When Wood is off the court the Rockets post an offensive rating of 104.5 and a defensive rating of 110.8 for a net rating of -6.3.

The simple arithmetic for the Rockets is that they are 9.5 points better per 100 possessions when Wood is on the court compared to when he sits. Another way to look at it is they go from being the worst offense in the NBA and a bottom-three team in the league without Wood to the Philadelphia 76ers with him.

The Rockets without Christian Wood are the epitome of a dumpster fire. Their offense is pathetic and their vaunted defense takes a step back. All-Stars affect winning on both ends of the court and Wood’s case is as good as anyone’s.

Next: Reason #2

Houston Rockets: Christian Wood All-Star snub reason #2: He has All-Star level stats

After team success, a player’s stats are the next driving force in their All-Star candidacy. Christian Wood isn’t making the Rockets better in the shadows he’s filling up the stat sheet and posting some eye-popping stats.

For the season, Wood is averaging 22 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. No other player in the NBA is averaging over 1.5 blocks, 20 points, and 10 rebounds per game.

What makes Wood’s statistics so impressive is that he isn’t posting them by virtue of volume. He only averages 15.7 field goal attempts and 31.2 minutes per game and his shooting-percentages have been elite this season, which shows a player that is a danger from anywhere on the court.

Wood is hitting 42.1-percent of his 3-pointers and 61.3-percent of his 2-point attempts which are both significantly above league average. The biggest detriments to Wood’s statistics have been his lack of minutes and the Rockets not leaning even more into his scoring.

On a per 36 minutes basis, Wood is averaging 25.4 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks. If Stephen Silas had more of the offense run through Wood it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that he could average close to 30 points per 36 minutes of action.

The statistical case for Wood is as good as anyone and when you factor in how much he impacts winning and him being left off the roster raises some serious questions about what being an All-Star means. However, the single greatest point for Wood being an All-Star is that his peers are all going to be flying down to Atlanta for the 2021 All-Star game.

Next: Reason #1

Houston Rockets: Christian Wood All-Star snub reason #1: His peers are in the All-Star game

The 2021 NBA All-Star rosters have a grand total of eight front-court players, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Anthony Davis, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert, Zion Williamson, and Nikola Vucevic, who can be reasonably compared to Christian Wood in terms of their role. Taking this group’s per game, per 36 minutes, and per 100 possessions stats, you’ll find that Christian Wood should be the ninth man in this group.

Front Court All-Star 8 Amalgam

         Per game         Per 36 minutes       Per 100 Poss. Rating 

 Pts   Rebs  Blks      Pts   Rebs   Blks              Off       Def

24.3  10.7   1.2       26.6   11.5   1.3            121.3   106.4

Christian Wood

   Per game              Per 36 minutes       Per 100 Poss. Rating 

Pts  Rebs Blks       Pts    Rebs  Blks            Off    Def

22   10.2   1.5       25.4   11.8   1.8             116   105

While Wood lags behind this group ever so slightly in scoring, he has been better at grabbing boards and swatting shots. Remember, this group includes two MVP favorites in Embiid and Jokic, the reigning back-to-back MVP winner in Antetokounmpo, and a two-time Defensive Player of the year winner Rudy Gobert. If you remove those four players and compare Wood to the likes of Anthony Davis, Julius Randle, Zion Williamson, and Nikola Vucevic, all fantastic players in their own right, then his case for being an All-Star becomes iron clad.

Front Court All-Star bottom 4 Amalgam

      Per Game        Per 36 minutes Per  100 Poss. Rating 

Pts   Rebs   Blks     Pts  Rebs Blks            Off     Def

23.7   9.5   0.9       25.1   10   0.9              118   108

Wood’s statistical profile and impact on winning might not be as great as Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, or Rudy Gobert but that cannot be said about the others. It’s unfortunate, but the Rockets’ eight-game losing streak without Wood has hurt his All-Star case when it really should have bolstered it.

Wood’s case for being an All-Star is everywhere you look. He turns a bad team into a good team. He produces on the court at a high level. His closest peers are all All-Stars. It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to solve this mystery, it’s elementary, Christian Wood is an All-Star snub.