National Basketball Association

85. Rodney Hood, SF, Jazz

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

In Year Two, Rodney Hood completely flipped the script from “Boy, he really slid on draft night” to “Boy, a lot of teams regret that he really slid on draft night.” It’s no wonder that teams like the Thunder and Grizzlies are kicking themselves for passing on Hood (14.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.7 APG), who went to the Jazz at No. 23 in 2014. There’s a lot to love about Hood’s game: he can play with or without the ball, he can initiate in pick-and-roll settings or space on the wing, he can read team defenses and find the open man, he can swing multiple positions on both offense and defense, and he can handle playing starter minutes in the West even though he’s only 23. Meanwhile, Hood did all of that while playing on a Jazz team that had brutal point guard play and a laundry list of major injuries. There’s no telling how high his utility might climb if he was cast as a third or fourth option behind established superstars, or if Utah’s core group can make it through an entire season together unscathed. (Last year: Not ranked)

+ His 8.1 career Win Shares rank No. 1 among 2014 draft class members.
+ Hood, a lefty, studied James Harden to hone his deliberate style in high pick-and-rolls
– He's a mediocre defender for his position, with room to improve
– He can grow as a closer, shooting just 40% overall (and 24.2 3P%) in clutch situations

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