Sixers Sign Undrafted UNLV Product Christian Wood

Though the team has not made an official announcement, both Christian Wood and his agent announced via Twitter that the undrafted free agent out of UNLV has signed with the Sixers.

Derek Bodner was among those to first report the details of the agreement.

After spending two seasons with the Runnin’ Rebels, Wood declared for the 2015 NBA Draft. Once considered a first round talent, maturity issues and concerns over off-the-court elements reportedly torpedoed his stock. Wood’s name would not be called on draft night, which led to this particularly gut-wrenching picture, courtesy of Gary Parrish.

After the disappointment of going undrafted, Wood was able to link up with the Houston Rockets summer league team that played in Las Vegas. In 4 games (2 starts), Wood averaged 6.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per contest. Given Sam Hinkie’s ties to the Rockets organization and the two clubs’ recent history of personnel changing hands, the Sixers front office likely received a strong enough vote of confidence on Wood to come to an agreement.

As far as the type of prospect Wood was considered, here’s what DraftExpress.com had to say about him.

"Standing 6-11, with a 7-3 wingspan, Wood has excellent size and length for a NBA power forward. His frame is somewhat on the frail side at the moment, particularly in the lower body, but will certainly continue to fill out as he matures physically, with the help of an NBA weight room. Athletically, Wood is impressive, as he’s extremely fluid and agile for a player his size, running the floor very well when motivated, with long strides and the ability to get off the ground quickly and effortlessly.Offensively, Wood is uniquely versatile, showing sparks of potential in many different areas that give him a nice framework of skills to build on long-term, both on the perimeter or inside the paint.He is a threat to get out in the open court, either by running the floor or even grabbing a defensive rebound and handling the ball coast to coast himself.He’s also a capable option in a set offense, particularly as a finisher around the basket as a cutter or in pick and roll situations, where he’s a threat to go up and catch lobs at any time. He gets off his feet quickly, converting 70% of his “around the basket” field goal attempts in the half-court this season according to Synergy Sports Tech, which is the 7th best rate among DX Top-100 prospects after Jahlil Okafor, Richaun Holmes, Sam Dekker, Seth Tuttle, Rakeem Christmas and Frank Kaminsky.Facing the basket, Wood has a quick first step and is a good enough ball-handler to beat opposing big men off the dribble in a straight line. He attacks closeouts nicely, and can finish with soft touch around the rim, even using runners or floaters. His length and high release point gives him a variety of ways he can finish around the basket thanks to the extension he gets around the rim. Once he gets stronger and tougher, he should be able to utilize his superior size at the power forward position in post-up situations, even if he will have to get significantly more physical to do so.Perhaps the most interesting area of Wood’s offensive game is his ability to step outside and space the floor from the perimeter. He has nice shooting touch from beyond the arc, hitting 24 three-pointers in 31 games this season, and shooting 73% from the free throw line, which is much better than what many of today’s NBA stretch 4s did while they were in college…On paper, Wood should be drafted much higher than where he is currently slated (in the 20s), as he is clearly a lottery-level talent with rare tools and impressive two-way potential. The hardest thing to find in today’s NBA is a long-armed power forward who can block shots and make 3-pointers, two things Wood proved to be able to, albeit inconsistently. The fact that he also rebounds and finishes well around the basket makes him even more attractive.Another thing to take into account is Wood’s age. At only 19 ½, he is at least a full year younger than most of the other sophomores who will be drafted this June, and is not even two months older than freshmen like Cliff Alexander, Trey Lyles and Karl Towns. He body will clearly improve in time, as he’s only a baby still physically, the question NBA teams will have is whether his lack of polish, smarts and awareness is due to a lack of experience, or a more deeply rooted issue?More than anyone possibly, Wood is one of the biggest boom or bust prospects in this draft, and it will be fascinating to see how things play out over the next two months, and then over the course of his career"

The financial details of the deal are still undisclosed.

Update 3:00 p.m. 9/8

Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times has more details on the agreement.

Next: Video: Dario Saric Gets Put on a Post

[recentpoststhiscategory=”no”]