Duke may have one player everyone is talking about in Jabari Parker, but they have another tremendous athlete along side him. As we mentioned earlier in this series, we will let some of the freshmen such as Parker develop further on defense before making a definite answer. After all, it would only be fair to let him get a hang of defense.
So this week, we profile Rodney Hood. Don’t let that “Not Top-10” missed dunk from earlier this week fool you, Hood is a heck of an athlete.
First, some background on him. He played one year at Mississippi State in 2011-12 and averaged over ten points as a freshman. After his head coach retired, he transferred to Duke, citing Coach K’s
Now a redshirt sophomore with the No. 4 Blue Devils, Hood has tremendous size and can do a lot of things on the court. Hood, earlier, had looked like the premier feature in the Duke lineup, but that has since faded as Parker has improved.
That’s not a knock on Hood, rather Duke is becoming more balanced. He still has posted double digits in each of his last five games—and only four times has he not this season.
Hood possesses a silky-smooth shot from outside, which he fires from his left hand. He is shooting a tremendous 43% from beyond the arc. Nearly automatic from the charity stripe, he also shoots nearly 50% from the field—he has a great mid-range shot. Put it all together and it comes to more than 16 points per game. And that’s in a tough conference with some great defenses!
As for his own defense, there is room for improvement. Brett Brown and the Sixers fans may be turned off by that idea, but the guy is coming off a year in which he did not play at all. He is a college kid after all, and can still add strength to his frame. His lengthy, athletic body will be a tremendous asset defensively. After all, he is an athletic freak.
Pro Comparison: Trevor Ariza
The Verdict: A little patience could go a long way with Hood. Seriously, the talent and potential is there. I can’t stress enough how tough it could be for a player to sit out an entire year and then be thrown into a league as competitive as the ACC and a top-five team. Before getting into the logistics of the order and where Hood would fall, just imagine a back court of the 6’6’’ Michael Carter-Williams and the 6”8” Hood. That would create some defensive advantages and give the team some flexibility as they try to collect players.
Now, being realistic, it all depends on what the Sixers do with their first pick. Hood is not top-five material, which is where their first pick figures to land. He is a lottery pick and certainly has value as their selection with the New Orleans pick. If they get Andrew Wiggins or Parker with the first pick, then the second pick may be best spent in the front court. But say they land someone like Julius Randall with the first pick, then Hood with the second pick looks like a great fit. Don’t go out of your way to take him, but if it makes sense, I would not hesitate in selecting the Blue Devil.
