Rodney Hood
SG/SF, 6-8, 210
Sophomore, 21 years old
Notable: Transferred from Mississippi State following his freshman campaign (2011-12). Sat out ’12-13 season.
Season (33 mpg): 16.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 1.5 TO, 2.6 PF
46% FG (12 attempts), 42% 3-point (4.8 attempts)
81% FT (4.7 attempts)
59% TS, 20 PER, 1.06 Points Per Possession
56% TS%, 8.9% Block percentage (56th nationally), 90.2 defensive rating (2nd in ACC)
[wptab name=’Video Breakdown’]
Video Breakdown: Rodney Hood
* I did not evaluate Hood in person this season. The following breakdown is based on research and film study.
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Strengths
• Size for the Position. Hood is a 6-8 Shooting Guard with deep range and a perimeter-oriented skill set.
• Shooting Ability
• Versatility at 6-8.
Weaknesses / Areas of Improvement
• Strength. His skinny, 215-pound frame will not meet NBA requirements. Too lanky at 6-8, 215.
• He must develop his right hand, and polish his overall ball handling.
• Defense (both on-and-off the ball)
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Strengths
• Size for the Position. Hood is a 6-8 Shooting Guard with deep range and a perimeter-oriented skill set.
He is a knockdown shooter at 6-8, and has excellent floor spacing potential. He can shoot over the defense using his size, in both catch-and-shoot (39%) or off the dribble (44%) situations. Hood converted 42% from three-point range, and his 55% effective FG% ranked 1st in the ACC.
Although he must improve in various areas in order to fully reach his potential, Hood’s 3-point shooting gives him a defined role at the next level, and this should translate immediately.
• Shooting Ability
Hood shoot over the defense, and spaces the floor at 6-9. As mentioned, Hood is capable shooting with his feet set, or off the dribble. Although he’s not a great driver right now (due to a poor handle and weak frame), Hood does a nice job of attacking hard close-outs, and at the least, he will always draw defenders and open up the floor because of his shooting ability.
Made Free Throws (81%)
Catch-and-Shoot 2s
Catch-and-Shoot 3s
Great size, long range, and quick release. Can shoot over the top of defenses.
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• Developing Offensive Game. Hood must get stronger—there’s no way he’ll survive inside the 3-point line at 215 pounds—but he has the size and fluidity to potentially create off the bounce. He’s not a reliable driver in isolation by any means—mostly due to a lack of strength and ball handling—but Hood is a capable straight-line driver, who can attack with his strong hand (left) if given space.
Pick and Roll
Hood converted an excellent 51% as a pick-and-roll ball handler this season, and his 1.3 points per attempt ranked in the top 1 percentile nationally. He was excellent coming around screens for jumpers (51%), stopping-and-rising for runners (46%), or taking it all the way to the basket (6-9 FG). While not a polished ball handler, Hood displayed nice control with his handle, and deftly attacked the pick-and-roll using his length and athleticism.
Pick-and-Roll Attacking
Pick-and-Roll Shooting (51% FG)
Driving Left
Crafty Off the Dribble
Potential here, although he must get stronger and polish his handle against NBA defenders. Right now, he relies on speed and length to drive the lane.
Finishing With Right Hand (rare) / Using Left Hand on Right Side
Hood exclusively used his left hand to finish at the basket. Regardless if he attacks from the left or the right, Hood uses a variety of spin moves and hesitations to try and veer left. It worked in college, but this one-sided approach probably won’t suffice in the NBA. In the long run, he must improve his ability to finish going right; you can’t just spin back left every time.
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• Versatility at 6-8. Hood is first and foremost a shooter, but his lanky frame, fluidity, and 6-8 size give him some added versatility. Part of his allure is the potential for him to score inside and outside.
Although he must add muscle to finish through defensive resistance, Hood was an excellent slasher this past season, converting 78% of his attempts. He is also a threat in transition, where he can run the wings and finish with athleticism, or trail for a 3-pointer. Hood has intriguing versatility and athleticism to be plugged in various lineups and formations. He doesn’t need the ball to be a threat—he can catch-and-shoot at 6-8, slash to the basket, run the open floor, or come off screens.
Cutting / Slashing (78% this past season)
Transition
Hand Off / Off Screens
Dangerous and versatile on screens. Can stop and rise for a floater at any moment.
Post Up
Hood had only 20 possessions in post up situations this past season. He can potentially back down smaller shooting guards, but he must get considerably stronger to utilize this aspect of his game.
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Weaknesses / Areas of Improvement
• Strength. Hood’s skinny, 215-pound frame will not meet NBA requirements. He’s too lanky.
Hood is too skinny right now, which hinders him in various aspects—he can’t finish through contact, gets bullied on defense, and posted a paltry 3.9 rebounds per game. These three aspects are critical to his long-term success in the NBA.
Finishing Struggles
Hood faces two battles in terms of finishing: (i) he can’t finish with his right hand, and (ii) he’s too weak right now. Here’s the latter.
Mid-Range Misses (8-28)
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• He must develop his right hand, and polish his overall ball handling.
Weak Right Hand (forcing it left)
Hood did a good job circumventing this issue during college. He managed to always veer left, using spin moves, euro-steps and the like. But this left-only approach won’t suffice in the NBA.
I think his right hand is actually better than most commentators believe, but nonetheless he must improve.
Turnovers / Poor Handle
As mentioned before, Hood struggles to break his man down off the dribble. He dribbles East-to-West way too often, and wastes time dribbling in place. He needs to move forward, not sideways.
An unpolished handle and a weak frame make for a dangerous combination—defenders can poke away the ball, whether he’s dribbling in place or driving to the basket.
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• Defense (both on-and-off the ball)
Hood uses his height and length well on the ball, and because of his physical attributes, he has great upside defensively. After all, at 6-8 and with quick feet, he could guard most 2s and 3s.
But he must shore up various aspects. Firstly, on the ball: Hood isn’t always low, often staying upright and easily getting beat off the dribble. Secondly, he must get stronger, in order to fight through NBA-style screens, and also wall of penetration. Right now, defenders can slice through Hood with ease.
Secondly, off the ball: Far too often his mind wanders and he loses focus of his assignment. He doesn’t sprint through screens, and inexplicably will leave his man open, appearing aloof on the perimeter.
Gets Beat off the Dribble, Stays Upright, Etc
Poor Job Fighting Around Screens / Poor Awareness
Post Defense (weak frame)
[/wptab]
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