Can Rodney Hood play a pivotal role for the Portland Trailblazers this season, as they look to become a contender out west?
At one point in time I thought Rodney Hood was one of the most underrated young shooting guards in the league. While I do still feel he’s underrated, I feel I need to clarify what exactly I meant by the above statement. When Hood was a sophomore in the league, I remember thinking he could be the next Bradley Beal type of guy. I was not correct, or at least I haven’t been proved to be yet. (I don’t still hold this belief)
Hood was drafted by the Jazz with the 28th pick in the 2014 draft, and following this he turned in a solid rookie year. Playing more than 20 minutes per game from the bench. In his second season he started all but three games for the Jazz, in a season where they would finish 9th in the West. Hood spent the year playing really nice consistent basketball especially the second half of the year once he had embedded himself into the starting five. He shot the ball at a decent clip from deep (36%) and played within the flow of the team’s offence for the most part. Hood played capable defence all year helped by his size and length at the two guard and playing with great defensive teammates in a defensive scheme. (what I failed to see at the time)
The next season the Jazz made the playoff push and secured the 5th spot in the West. Thanks to three key factors: 1. The league’s third ranked defence. (105.3 per 100 possessions) 2. Gordon Hayward taking a significant step forward as a player. 3. The acquisition of George Hill. Despite our guy Rodney Hood’s role took a little bit of a step backwards, (he saw less minutes as Jingling Joe Ingles began to emerge as a solid player in the league) he was still the starting SG when he was healthy. Hood’s shooting percentage did increase and his points per 100 was higher than his previous season.
Prior to the start of the following year the Jazz drafted Donovan Mitchell with the 13th pick. As well all know it didn’t take Donovan Mitchell long to establish himself as one of the most exciting young players in the league. The biggest casualty of this meteoric rise to stardom was Rodney Hood. Hood started all but two of the first ten appearances he was available for, but would only start a handful more before being shipped off to Cleveland at the trade deadline.
Hood wasn’t great for the Cavs, he was inconsistent, he was the opposite of what he was back in Utah. He did have good nights for Cavs in the regular season, and shot the three ball decently (important factor as a Lebron role player, amplified this particular year) at 35%. However, that all changed when the playoffs arrived, Hood went ice cold from behind the arc, shooting a frankly putrid 17%. As you would expect this didn’t fly with the King, and Hood’s minutes dwindled down the stretch. It went as far as Hood refusing* to enter game four of the Raptors series, when Cleveland were blowing out the Raptors. As we all know the mood in Cleveland changed dramatically that offseason when Lebron decided he was taking his talents to Hollywood.
With just Lil’ Kev left from the big three, (who was hurt) the Cav began what looks like a long rebuild, thanks in no small part to Lebron James himself. Hood re-upped for another year with Cleveland, and he was the starting SG for the Cav all year. Hood played fairly well for a Cavs team that was in full tank, with a rookie PG who looked like he didn’t have a clue how to run the floor. With the Cavs now looking at a full scale rebuild, and a depleted war chest of assets, the Portland Trailblazers traded for Rodney Hood at the trade deadline (Giving up two 2nd rounders, Wade Baldwin and Nik Stauskas).
Hood played in 27 games down the stretch for Portland on their way to the 3rd seed in the West. Now I’m sure we all remember Hood playing excellently in the Western Conference Semi-finals this year against the Nuggets. Including scoring the winning shot in quadruple overtime of game 4, (19 points) and playing excellently in an elimination game six:
Hood was in total control in game six, scoring well both inside and out. He was able to use his height to his advantage inside on the smaller Nugget guards, and he was taking the opportunities that came to him for three. That series ladies and gentlemen is the blueprint for Rodney Hood to be a great bench option for team with title aspirations.
Hood’s offensive skill-set makes him a really nice player to be able to bring off the bench, as spark plug with the starters, or as a more prominent scorer with the full bench unit. When he is confident and in rhythm Hood can be a really versatile offensive force. As a shooting guard in today’s NBA Hood has to be able to hit the three which we all know he can. (35% last year) Where he separates himself from some of his peers is his ability to shot both, pull-up and catch and shoot threes, at an equally high percentage. (Pull-ups 36% and catch and shoot 35%)
Hood's a better ball handler than he's given credit for, and his nice height and length combo make him a solid scorer inside. He's good a keeping defenders honest with timely pump fake: then using the space created to get up a shoot or drive at the hoop. While shooting mid-range shots might not be as highly valued as in the past, Hood was able to create his own shot and sink it at a 45% clip last season. It might not be the shot you want Hood to be looking to create the majority of the time down the court, it's an incredible skill to be able to fall back on.
On the other end of the court Hood doesn't give you quite the same versatility: He doesn't have the foot speed to hang with most point guards, his length can help him out of some situations near the rim. He's at his best defending the opposition two guard, the length previously mentioned is still an advantage in most match-ups. Helping him both at the rim and when closing out three-point shots. A capable defender on some of the smaller small forwards in the league, however, this match-up can leave Hood exposed physically in certain situations, and his height advantage will have virtually disappeared.
Fit: Hood stayed in Portland, to the tune of a two-year contract worth $16 Million dollars. Which isn’t a bad little pay bump for our pal Rodney Hood, though I still think it’s a good contract for the Trailblazers (that’s rare). I really like the fit in the Portland system and it was a place where he seemed to find some confidence, which is huge for him. I think he will be better utilised as a sixth man from the bench, rather than them playing him at the three with Lillard and McCollum. That's just my opinion, I would be more than happy to eat those words later this season, should they do that and it work seamlessly.
Summary: Good shooting two guard, that can play minutes at the three and is switchable. Really nice to have as the third guard from the bench, if you want to move to a three guard system. Height and length help on the defensive side of the ball, particularly when guarding opposition shooting guards. Loses this advantage can lead him to be exposed when guarding small forwards. Has better ball handling and at-rim skills than he’s given credit for.
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