An apology to Rodney Hood


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SALT LAKE CITY — Last June, Rodney Hood was drafted by the Utah Jazz at the No. 23 slot. Most of the NBA world thought it was a brilliant pick: ESPN's Chad Ford gave the Jazz an A. Zach Harper called Hood a "lottery-level talent who fell too far." USAToday's Adi Joseph continued the praise, describing Hood as a "mix of Rashard Lewis and Danny Granger."

During the two months leading up to the draft, nearly all mocks had Hood being drafted somewhere between No. 13 and No. 18, and it was a case of several unusual picks (Bruno Caboclo, for example, shocking the world), that allowed Hood to fall to No. 23. As KSL contributor Ben Anderson reported, the Jazz actually had Hood in the top 10 on their draft board, so getting Hood at No. 23 was a major surprise.

But while the rest of the world loved the Hood pick, I was disappointed. Why? Well, most statistical analysts were not big fans of Hood's game, nor were many scouts. ESPN's Kevin Pelton said, "His weaknesses seem to outweigh his strengths." Chad Ford commented that, "Outside of his shooting ability, there isn't a lot else that he contributes." Dean Demakis wasn't a fan at all, and Layne Vashro ranked Hood 38th in his list of available prospects. Hood was also relatively old for a first round NBA prospect.

Then, there were some undeniable facts about his defense. It seemed Hood rarely tried on the defensive end while at Duke: he rarely got into a defensive stance, and was often taken advantage of with dribble blow-bys or by simply giving up on help D. Coach Mike Krzyzewski benched both Hood and Jabari Parker for defensive purposes in Duke's upset loss to Mercer early in the NCAA tournament, just when both players were needed most. Given Jazz coach Quin Snyder's ties to Coach K, I expected the same treatment for Hood during his rookie season in a Jazz uniform. I said as much in print and on the radio.

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Hood didn't make either of the all-rookie teams, largely due to four different injuries which cost him 32 games overall. But it wasn't just the injuries: Hood also missed out on early season buzz due to his poor season start. Even when he was healthy, he averaged just 5.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists on just 31 percent two-point shooting, 28 percent three-point shooting, and 70 percent free throw shooting. Whether it was due to injuries or early season NBA growing pains, Hood didn't deserve any plaudits for his performance.

Then, like the rest of the team, everything changed — Hood wildly impressed after the All-Star break. The Jazz were 3.3 points per 100 possessions better than average when he was on the floor, compared to 0.6 points per 100 possessions worse when he was on the bench. Hood led the team in points in the final month of the season, and twice in assists. In the end, he was awarded the Western Conference Rookie of the Month award for April, much to the chagrin of Andrew Wiggins' fans on Reddit and Twitter.

Coach Snyder increasingly had nice things to say about Hood as he progressed through the season, frequently contrasted against the doubts that were dumped on Hood early in his career. In separate interviews, Snyder commented, "He's a better pick and roll player than people realize," and "He's been a little bit better defender maybe than people have seen... I think his length is an advantage."


When people attack him, he's able to respond.

–Quin Snyder


Last week, when I analyzed last year's NBA draft, he was the only first round selection to surpass average production for his slot in their rookie season. That's really impressive. Even if he shows no further improvement, Hood would still be a valuable pick for a No. 23 selection. In other words, I couldn't have been more wrong.

In short, the quiet and unassuming Hood seems to enjoy making statements through his play, countering the earlier criticism extremely well. Snyder may have said it best concerning Hood: "When people attack him, he's able to respond."

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Andy Larsen

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