It's Too Early For The Blazers To Write Off Rodney Hood After All

Rodney Hood's season-long numbers are dreadful. As his personal burst against Phoenix made clear, though, he's a potentially integral two-way piece for Portland.

Rodney Hood is shooting 37.1 percent from the field. His 42.0 percent on two-pointers and 28.8 percent from three are both easy career lows, and it's not like he's compensating elsewhere. Never a high-volume foul-drawer, Hood's free throw rate has cratered to a point it's barely noticeable; he's taken eight freebies all season.

Obviously, Hood's return from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in December 2019 hasn't exactly gone how he or the Trail Blazers hoped. Some pre-arranged negotiations no doubt played a part in the outsized two-year, $21 million contract Hood signed in October. There's no way Portland actually valued Hood at that annual number, even accounting for the fact his deal in nonguaranteed for 2021-22.

Regardless, it's safe to say Neil Olshey and Terry Stotts expected more from him than they've gotten over the season's first two months. Well, at least until Hood's fleeting breakout in the Blazers' otherwise forgettable blowout loss to the Suns on Monday.

Hood entered the game with just over four minutes left in the first quarter, but his personal run didn't come until he was orchestrating Portland's reserve unit to begin the second.

He first attacked Cam Johnson from the top of the key, driving right then spinning quickly to his left for a short floater. By the time Hood's burst was finished, he'd drained a pull-up three-pointer from the right wing and ripped Chris Paul's dribble for a coast-to-coast dunk, suddenly putting the Blazers up 33-32 – their last gasp of real competitiveness.

A couple minutes later, Hood exploited a double-team in the post by manipulating the defense before firing a dime to Gary Trent Jr. for three.

Hood's impact otherwise against Phoenix more aligned with his season-long struggles. He didn't score again after the second quarter, missing his only shot after halftime before being pulled early in the fourth for extended garbage time.

Even when fully healthy and playing near his peak, the Blazers don't expect Hood to single-handedly swing games the way he briefly did on Monday. He theoretically fills a hole in the roster anyway, though, as a big, role-playing wing who can score at all three levels, check multiple positions defensively without being abused and moonlight as a play initiator. 

It's telling, for instance, that Hood guarded Chris Paul in the second quarter while Trent, broadly considered the superior individual defender, was stashed on E'Twaun Moore. The same can be said for Hood playing nominal point guard on a second unit that included Trent and Anfernee Simons. 

Even when he hasn't been scoring, Portland's reserves have generally looked far more comfortable this season with Hood running the show. Hood occupying that role also better clarifies the Blazers' offensive pecking order, moving Carmelo Anthony down a rung – key to the effectiveness of lineups sans Damian Lillard.

One several-minute eruption doesn't make a season. Hood flashed in recent games before Monday, only to remain mostly inconsequential in those to follow regardless of his playing time.

But as Portland gets C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic after the All-Star break, don't forget what a healthy Hood potentially brings to the table. Debates about the rotation to come will largely center around Anthony and Nassir Little, as well as how Trent best fits on a team with Lillard and McCollum. 

It's Hood, though, who on paper fits a two-way player archetype even the full-strength Blazers miss most. Here's hoping he's healthy and fit enough to actually do it on the floor over the season's remainder.

READ MORE: The Blame For Portland's Lack of Ball Movement Doesn't Lie With Coaching