Rodney Hood
I know what you’re thinking. No way. And guess what? You’re probably right.
But I also think there’s a bit of an argument to be had here for a number of reasons. Obviously the Rodney Hood who showed up for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs last year isn’t going to come anywhere close to sniffing the All-Star Game. Not by a long shot. But if the 2017-18 Jazz version of Hood can grow this year, he might just have a chance.
Overshadowed by the rise of Donovan Mitchell and the surprising development of Royce O’Neale, it’s easy to forget that Hood was actually putting up extremely good numbers in Utah, career numbers even, before he was traded. In 39 games with the Jazz, he put up 16.8 points per contest on an impressive 38.9 percent shooting from the perimeter.
Obviously it didn’t pan out this way, but many Jazz fans believed prior to last season’s start that Hood could blossom into a fringe star that would replace the offensive production of Gordon Hayward. Although that didn’t happen, I still think Hood has some of that potential.
And consider this, he’ll now be playing in a weak Eastern Conference where some of those final All-Star spots could be up for grabs. Not only that, but with LeBron James gone from the Cavs, Rodney will be facing lessened pressure and may enjoy a larger role on a team that doesn’t figure to be nearly as competitive as in years past.
As I said, this is a bit of a stretch and even Hood’s performance from last season with the Jazz won’t be enough to get him an All-Star bid. But if he puts in work this offseason and shows some major growth heading into the next season, it’s entirely possible that he could be in that running. In all honesty, I’d be shocked to see Rodney get an All-Star selection, but I do certainly hope that he can turn things around and become much more effective than he was in last year’s playoffs.
The chances of Jazzmen, current or past, dominating the All-Star selections is pretty slim. However, they definitely have a shot at sneaking some guys in, including two of their own players and certainly their most recent All-Star Gordon Hayward.
With the 2018-19 season set to soon get underway, it’s going to be exciting to see which players across the league from both conferences rise to the challenge and qualify for the All-Star Game, especially those who will be in it for the first time, which would be the case for any Utah Jazz players who make it this year.