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The development of Rodney Hood continues.
The Utah Jazz shooting guard has been picked to play for the USA Select Team this summer. As a part of the assignment, Hood will be on the team that scrimmages against Team USA in preparation for the Olympics in August.
"We couldn't be happier for him," Jazz General Manager Dennis Lindsey told The Salt Lake Tribune. "This is a good step for him and it's a huge honor for him. It's good for his progression and we feel like he deserves the opportunity to allow the men's team to prepare for the Olympics."
Current Jazz players Trey Burke and Derrick Favors have previously played for the USA Select Team.
Hood will be heading into his third season with the Jazz and is entrenched as the starting shooting guard, something he earned this past year.
In his second season out of Duke, Hood averaged 14.5 points per game on a mixture of drives to the basket and shooting from the 3-point line. One of his major objectives this summer is to get physically stronger, as he had a tendency to wear down at times last season when hit with extra defensive attention.
If he does this, the Jazz feel Hood can potentially develop into a number one option. This is something the Jazz struggled with down the stretch in many games, leading to a number of close defeats. But the front office feels Hood has the kind of game that can yield to consistent production down the stretch. Strength is a part of that, as is experience. And it's the reason the Jazz brass is happy Hood will be playing against good competition this summer.
— Tony Jones