Best and Worst Case Scenarios for Each Utah Jazz Player

Rodney Hood

Unlike the aforementioned players whose actual production wasn’t quite as high as many had hoped, Rodney Hood exceeded expectations in his second season. Despite a slow start to the year, once he was forced to take on a bigger role with the onslaught of injuries to his teammates, Hood became a lethal offensive force.

And as he goes into year three, it’s in no way unrealistic to expect an even bigger jump. In the months of January and February when his offense was most needed, Hood averaged 18.6 and 17.1 points, respectively, considerably better than his mark of 14.5 for the year. This is evidence of what he’s capable of when his number is called.

If Utah hopes to improve this season, they’ll need to call on him often and have him be ready to fire on all cylinders.

Though Hood is viewed as a solid three-point shooter, it seems like he should be more of a dead-eye than the 35.9 percent mark that he finished at last season. Improving his efficiency from deep will be a key factor in the Jazz’s success. If his efficiency drops, however, Hood’s volume shooting will damage the team rather than help it.

He’ll need to continue to improve and show his worth as a shooter and defender if he wants to rise in the ranks as one of the top shooting guards in the league.

Best Case Scenario: Becomes 40 percent three-point shooter, boosts scoring to close to 20 points per game, fringe All-Star

Worst Case Scenario: Efficiency plummets, loses spot in starting lineup

Next: George Hill