Utah Jazz at Oklahoma City Thunder: Keys to the Game

Key Performer – Rodney Hood

Things haven’t exactly been pretty for Rodney Hood in his two games back from the hyperextended knee he suffered in early February. He went 1-of-9 from the field and 1-of-5 from deep against Milwaukee then followed that up with an only slightly better 2-of-7 from the field and 2-of-4 from deep performance against Washington.

The discouraging thing about Hood sometimes is his shot selection. He ought to know that he’s going to be a bit rusty and should instead look to get in a rhythm with smart shots rather than chuck up prayers. But, alas, such isn’t always the case.

Nevertheless, with his two made threes against Washington, it appeared as if he was beginning to regain his shot somewhat, which would be big news for the Jazz. The reason that Hood is the guy I’ve pinned as the key performer in tomorrow’s contest is because in Utah’s first game against the Thunder he came up big with 25 points on the night, whereas in the last contest, Hood was out due to injury and those 25 points he had put up before were severely missed.

If he’s able to have a bounce-back game tomorrow night and catch fire from deep like he did the first time around against OKC, his presence could very well make the difference for a Jazz team that lost last time by the narrowest of margins.

Fortunately, he will also benefit from the fact that he’ll mainly be matched up against Victor Oladipo who he burned the first time the Jazz and Thunder played and should have a significant advantage against once again. It’s time for Hood to prove that he isn’t the weak link in Utah’s starting lineup and he can begin to do that by playing well in tomorrow’s contest.

If Hood can have a big night, find his shot and accrue some confidence for the tough month of March ahead, it will be monumental for a Jazz team that could seriously benefit from another reliable sharpshooter on the perimeter.