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Phoenix • Rodney Hood finished last season as arguably one of the best three scorers on the Utah Jazz. Most within the organization agree he's improved his game significantly over the offseason, and he certainly proved that with a dominant performance in summer league.
Yet, Hood's adjustment to the NBA continues.
On many levels, this is completely understandable. The 6-foot-8 shooting guard is still only 23 years old. He's only entering his second year. And as a recent verbal jostling from none other than Kobe Bryant proves, he's still gaining experience nightly.
Through three preseason games, Hood's been solid for the most part. He's missed shots, but has still shown explosive scoring ability. He's been a floating piece in Quin Snyder's rotation, playing differing positions. In Utah's 101-85 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Friday night, Hood scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds in 24 minutes. For Hood, as well as his teammates, the new season is still an adjustment.
"I know with the second unit, I have to be aggressive," Hood said. "I have to get used to that."
And there lies the key to Rodney Hood's season: Expectations. The former Duke University star was a pleasant surprise at the end of last year. He was a regular double-digit scorer, once he found his health. He was consistent with his shooting, and he took pressure off Gordon Hayward down the stretch.
But now, he's going to be counted on to do this every night. He knows it, his teammates know it, his coaches know it.
And his opponents know it as well.
"I think he's thrived in any situation over the course of the last six months," Snyder said. "I didn't think he played badly in the first game, he just missed some shots. He and Alec (Burks) are going to handle the ball a lot. I think we're still getting to know each other on the wings."
Snyder's made a concerted effort to put Hood in different situations over the last week. He's been the leader of the second unit. He's played all three perimeter positions on both ends.
Hood — so far — was at his best in the second game against the Los Angeles Lakers, scoring 21 points and and making several plays down the stretch in order to ensure the Jazz get a win.
As things look so far, Hood will close a lot of games, even if he's coming off the bench. He's been able to score at a good clip. More importantly, he's been able to generate good looks at the basket for either himself or his teammates with ease.
"Everything has been good so far," Hood said. "Just trying to figure out how we're going to be playing and handling the ball a lot. I've been getting good shots, some have been going in and out. But it's been fun, so it's been a pretty good first few games."
In losing their first game of the preseason to the Suns, Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 24 points, four rebounds and three assists. Alex Len led the Suns with 21 points and six rebounds off the bench. —
Storylines
R Utah suffers its first preseason loss and scores just 55 points in the last three quarters.
• Gordon Hayward leads the Jazz with 24 points on 6-of-11 shooting.