Utah Jazz: What to watch for during the preseason

Will Rodney Hood come out as the clear go-to scorer?

During the preseason, Utah Jazz starters may only play 20-25 minutes a game. So when you are watching the games, the actual numbers that the players put up don’t necessarily tell the whole story. If Rodney can come out and score 18-20 points a game in the preseason, then yeah, it would be a terrific sign for the year to come, but that’s not what I’m watching for.

I am going to be watching for his role in the offense, his aggression, and his level of confidence.

Rodney is an extremely talented offensive player. He can score from anywhere on the floor and in a variety of ways. Two things have held him back in the past: 1) Health and 2) His mindset as a number 1 option.

As fellow J-Notes writer Jared Woodcox recently wrote, the Jazz appear to be healthy heading into this season. Over the past couple of years that has not been the case. Last year, Rodney struggled with knee issues after hyper-extending his knee, and he never fully recovered. Now, he should be healthy, and should have no set backs.

The main thing to watch for is going to be his aggression on the offensive end, and how frequently he looks for his shot. The Jazz offense is one predicated on ball movement/player movement, and he should get shots up within the offense. I want to watch for how often he breaks out of the offense because he believes he can take his man and get his own shot.

I’ll especially be watching at the end of shot clock and quarter situations. As our go-to scorer, we should be giving him the ball and either clearing out, or putting him in a pick n’ roll situation with Gobert or Favors.

Whether or not he puts up big numbers in the preseason, isn’t going to be as important as his style of play and level of confidence and aggression.