This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

On Friday morning, Gordon Hayward described a bit what it's like on the floor without Rodney Hood.

This is what happens when the Utah Jazz are down one of their main perimeter options. Hayward is easier to double team. His drives to the basket are easier for opponents to collapse on. Hayward finds spacing coming at much more of a premium.

It's simply more difficult for Hayward when Hood doesn't play, which was the case on Wednesday night in a loss to the Golden State Warriors.

"Rodney's one of out main ballhandlers, and he's so good at creating offense for himself and others," Hayward said. "He's someone that we need to have out there."

That makes Hood's availability one of utmost importance on Friday night against the Washington Wizards. If Hood is able to loosen his back up enough to be effective, it helps the Jazz in general. But it helps Hayward specifically, to have another perimeter threat to lean on. If not, it becomes more difficult for Hayward to find the room needed to operate.

Hayward said a big key to tonight's game is the ability to stay in front of all-star point guard John Wall. He said the Jazz need to figure out a way to try and keep him out of the lane and away from the basket, something not too many teams are successful at.

"It can't be just one of us, it has to be all of us," Hayward said. "Wall's a one-man fast break, and one of the fastest guys in basketball from one end to the other. He's someone we have to play real team defense on."

— Tony Jones

Twitter: @tjonessltrib