Rodney Hood is finding that being the man isn’t always easy.
The adjustment for Hood isn’t in his actual game. It isn’t difficult to tell that the Utah Jazz shooting guard has made improvements to his overall skill set. He’s stronger than he was last season. He’s slightly adjusted his shooting motion to make it more compact, and his percentages are up as a result.
The real challenge for Hood — who is quiet and unassuming by nature — lies in his mentality. Being the top option means being aggressive. Hood can float through games at times, waiting for the ball to come to him, instead of commanding the ball and going to work offensively. When the Jazz had Gordon Hayward, this wasn’t an issue. Now, Utah and its coaching staff needs Hood to take more shots, find better shots and impose his offensive will on opposing defenses.
For Hood, that’s not simple.
“It’s a challenge, but it’s something I embrace and something that I’m working on,” Hood said.
Rodney Hood <br> • Has missed two games this season with a calf strain <br> • Leads the Jazz with 15.3 points a game. He’s shooting 41 percent from 3-point range, which would be a career-high <br> • Scored a season high 22 points in Wednesday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns
The last time he was in this position was seven years ago, as a senior at Meridian High School in Mississippi. He won a state title that year — averaging almost 25 points and nine rebounds per game. He supplemented that with 6.4 assists and 3.1 steals per game.
From that point, Hood was a complementary player. He was a heralded freshman at Mississippi State University, but settled in behind Dee Bost and Renaldo Sidney in the Bulldogs’ offensive pecking order.
At Duke, Hood averaged 16 points in his one season with the Blue Devils and was an All-ACC performer. But Jabari Parker was the top option for that team. And with the Jazz, Hood waited his turn for three years.
But now, that turn has come, even if the adjustment hasn’t.
“We’re at the point where we need him to be aggressive all the time,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “He should be able to recognize points in the game where he needs to be a little more assertive. Sometimes during timeouts, Johnnie (Bryant), will remind him to keep attacking. That’s some of the things we want from him.”
To Hood’s credit, he’s made a conscious effort to improve in this area. In Utah’s 96-81 win on Saturday night, Hood scored 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting. But he set a tone by probing the Lakers’ defense from the start. He missed four of his first five shots in the first quarter. But he took those shots and kept shooting when he didn’t find initial success.
That’s not a small step for Hood. In the past, if he missed his first few looks, he’d go into a shell and his sense of aggression would go missing. Against the Lakers, he shot himself into a rhythm, and made multiple key baskets in the second half to help preserve the win.
“It’s an adjustment for me, but I’ll definitely remain confident,” Hood said. “I know that I have to continue to shoot the ball and not hang my head, stuff like that. It’s going to continue to be a progression. I’ll get the hang of it, and I think I’ll get better and better as the season goes on. I just have to be confident, be aggressive, continue taking my shots and not overthinking.”
Through six games, Hood leads the Jazz, scoring 15.3 points a night, but that statistic lacks context. Hood was weakened by a flu bug and played just 18 minutes against the Denver Nuggets in the season-opener, scoring just six points. He scored 20 points against Minnesota, but played just 24 minutes, due to a calf strain that he presumed was a more severe injury.
“I thought it may have been my achilles,” Hood said. “I was very concerned.”
It was against the Timberwolves where Hood showed his potential. He caught fire in the third quarter and carried the Jazz to an eight point lead before leaving the game. His night could’ve been more prolific had he not been injured.
Going forward, the Jazz need Hood to remain aggressive. The improvement in his game is noted. The Jazz need his mindset to follow.
Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz <br> When - Monday night,7 p.m. MST <br> Where - Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City <br> TV - AT&T SportsNet <br> Radio - 97.5 FM <br> Records - Utah 3-3, Dallas 1-6 <br> About the Mavericks - Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki has made 1,788 career 3-pointers, good for 13th all-time. … The Mavericks lost to Philadelphia at home on Saturday. They had won 11 straight against the Sixers at home. … Dallas will be looking for its first road win of the season on Monday night. … Dallas’ lone win this season is against the Memphis Grizzlies <br> About the Jazz - Utah is 3-0 this season at Vivint Smart Home Arena. … Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell is coming off a career-high 22 point performance against the Los Angeles Lakers. … Utah is in the midst of a four game home stand. … Jazz forward Derrick Favors is coming off his first double-double of the season. … Utah held the Lakers to 36 points in Saturday’s second half, the lowest the Jazz have held an opponent in a half this season