This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Los Angeles • When Rodney Hood got back to the locker room after the Jazz's preseason opener last week, his phone was buzzing with messages from friends and family members.
The Jazz had lost to the Portland Trail Blazers, but Hood had collected a personal highlight with a monstrous dunk over Portland forward Evan Turner.
Hood doesn't have a reputation as one of the NBA's high-flyers — but maybe the Utah Jazz shooting guard has just been flying under the radar.
"I'm a sneaky athlete," Hood said with a smirk when asked about the dunk Sunday afternoon. "At certain parts of the season, you'll see me bring it out."
Actually, Hood would like to put his athleticism on display a lot more this season. The 6-foot-8 shooting guard spent the offseason focused on adding strength to his legs with his sights set above the rim.
"It's been a focal point this summer," he said. "Even when I'm out there working out [on the court] I'm always finishing above the rim. Even when I'm tired I'm making sure I finish above the rim. It's helped me a lot so far."
"He's had more explosiveness," Jazz coach Quin Snyder noted. "… That's been a huge emphasis for him. We want him attacking the rim."
Hood dunked the ball just 10 times last season and six times the year before as a rookie, according to the NBA's stats. He'd love to put himself on more posters now but, even more importantly, Hood is looking to get into traffic and earn trips to the free-throw line. The guard averaged 2.5 free throws per game last season. Through two games this year, he's averaged 5.
"His reads have improved and he's starting to see more space," Snyder said. "Rodney's a really good midrange pull-up guy. We don't want him to just settle for that shot. He can make it, but he doesn't get fouled on that shot."
New for fall
Some NBA players have voiced their dislike of playing in sleeved jerseys. But after scoring 15 points and grabbing nine rebounds off the bench Friday night, Jazz forward Derrick Favors wasn't complaining about the team's new "pride" uniforms.
"It was a little bit different," he said. "I had to get used to it, especially shooting. But I like them."
Pick a Star
The D-League draft was held Sunday and the Jazz's affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, picked former UC Riverside guard Jaylen Bland with their first pick (No. 15 overall). The Stars also drafted forward Jarelle Reischel (No. 27 overall), forward Goodluck Okonoboh (No. 32 overall) and guard Carl Ona Embo (No. 49 overall).
Twitter: @aaronfalk