The Dallas Mavericks took on the Phoenix Suns Wednesday night in their first game of the season and their first matchup since Dallas took down Phoenix in Game 7 of last season’s Western Conference Semifinals.
Both teams have changed, albeit minorly, during the offseason so everyone was curious to see how they would do against each other.
In the end, the Suns ended up claiming the win, thanks to the buzzer-beat shot of Damion Lee.
The Mavericks were obviously very competitive.
Christian Wood (25 points in 24 minutes) on sitting a lot of crunch time: “I’m just happy to be a part of this team. … Late in games, it’s just a trust thing. I have to build the trust with this team. I’m on a new team. Once I do that, I think we’ll be good.”
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) October 20, 2022
One star, newcomer Christian Wood, earned 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists during his 24 minutes on the floor.
Now some are questioning why head coach Jason Kidd decided to bench Wood in the game’s closing moments.
As for Wood, he doesn’t seem bothered by the choice and appears optimistic about his future with the Mavs.
“I’m just happy to be a part of this team. Late in games, it’s just a trust thing. I have to build the trust with this team. I’m on a new team. Once I do that, I think we’ll be good,” Wood said following the close loss.
Will this be the last time Kidd benches his new star when it counts?
Without Wood
When Wood was signed, many expected him to be a starting player for the team, capable of landing rebounds but also ruling the perimeter.
He would be a perfect fit alongside Luka Doncic, people thought.
Yet, Kidd surprised fans when he said that Wood was going to be a bench player and wouldn’t start games.
You can understand this choice more after Wednesday’s game because Wood was the best bench player on the team and kept the squad thriving even when the starters sat.
But he also earned his right to play to the end so one wonders why Kidd sat him.
