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SALT LAKE CITY — Throughout the offseason, I'll be writing these scouting reports on the Jazz's players, giving an idea of where they stand in their games as of the end of the 2015-16 season. The first player we'll look at is Rodney Hood, who just finished his second year in the NBA by taking a leap forward.

Offense

On offense, Rodney Hood has a game that belies his experience level. Unlike most players new to the league, he gains his advantages not through athleticism, but through methodically getting the opposition in difficult places.

That begins with his pick and roll game. Hood is really smart at seeing how the defense is guarding him, and using his body to force both the screener's defender and his own to make hard decisions. Hood loves to put his defender on his back in pick and roll, which usually makes the screener's defender (or the third defender from another player) take an extra step towards him, opening up space in the paint for an open pass to the rim or the wing. When this doesn't happen, Hood's good at taking advantage of that space by scoring himself: his 0.88 PPP as the ball handler in pick and rolls is 77th percentile in the league.

Once he gets into the mid-range, coming off a screen or just receiving the ball in the high-post, his fantastic shot-making ability comes into play. On shots described as pull-up jumpers in the NBA's play-by-play data, Hood shot 74-128 last year: 57.8 percent. On shots described as step-back jumpers, he shot 12-20 (60 percent). On turnaround jumpers, 14-27 (51.9 percent). It's pretty impressive. This, for example, is such a difficult shot, but he effectively uses his size in the post on the smaller C.J. McCollum:

Rodney Hood turnaround post jumper. (Yes, this tweet does mean an article about Rodney hood is about to be posted) pic.twitter.com/FC7uICnAO1 — Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) April 29, 2016

From outside of the arc, maybe Hood's best characteristic is that he's unafraid to fire away. He took the most 3-point attempts of any player in Jazz history last season, making 35.9 percent of them, just above league average. The volume is enough to make him a threat, but raising that percentage would help Hood become even more of a threat in the offense. His deep ball might be a little bit flat, though just like on his mid-range jumper, he's a pretty effective shooter despite tough defense because of the elevation he shoots from.

Hood's overall efficiency is really hurt by the fact that he rarely goes to the rim, either for layups or to get fouled. Only 1 out of every 9 Hood shots comes within three feet of the rim. For comparison, that's even less than ground-bound teammate Joe Ingles, and about half of the rate of the more aggressive Gordon Hayward. He also gets to the line about half as often as Hayward, of course, there's a correlation there. When he does get to the line, though, he's the Jazz's best free-throw shooter: 86 percent last season.

Why doesn't he get to the rim and the line more? I asked Hood to explain.

"The big thing with that is that I'm a two-footed jumper and I always try to be under control when I get into the lane. Most guys who get fouled take off of one foot, the James Hardens, the Kevin Durants. It's just about learning different footwork."

With him not having that footwork now, if Hood's outside shot isn't falling, he's a pretty ineffective player. A 1-13 shooting performance in Minnesota early in the season and, worse, a 1-11 game in the Jazz's playoff-defining matchup against the Dallas Mavericks in April really hurt. The flip-side, of course, are the great games: 11-13 for 30 points in a half against the Lakers the most notable one. But for Hood to be more consistent, he'll have to find ways to manufacture points without relying on low percentage (even if they're smart!) looks.

Hood contributes in other areas: he's a smart passer, if not a flashy one. He does a generally good job of making the right read and finding the pass, especially if it's close to him on the floor. Given how frequently he holds the ball in the Jazz's offense, his turnover rate is pretty good.

He's generally not asked to be a offensive rebounder, but the defensive rebounding could probably use some improvement. Hood's playing on the perimeter, sure, but his height could be valuable in snagging those boards if he attacked them with more vigor more frequently. Shelvin Mack grabbed a higher percentage of available rebounds when he was on the court in a Jazz uniform, for example.

Defense

Defensively, Hood was a big question mark coming into the NBA. Duke's Mike Krzyzewski held Hood out (along with teammate Jabari Parker) during some critical stretches (including their tournament loss against Mercer) because of his inconsistent effort and ability on the defensive end.

Quin Snyder, though, made clear to Hood that he'd have to improve on that end to earn playing time, and he has. I think it's fair to say Hood's probably an average wing defender in the NBA in year two, an impressive accomplishment given his starting point. He's fairly quick laterally, makes smart rotations and stays in scheme, and doesn't really ever look out of place. He keeps his effort level high throughout.

It's hard to say he's definitely above average: he doesn't generate turnovers very frequently, and he struggles against bigger wings. He ended up being matched up against Carmelo Anthony in the Jazz's game in New York this year on some possessions, and really struggled. Obviously, Anthony is a great player, but Hood didn't show much toughness in the post here.

That might always be the case: you probably don't want Hood to bulk up much, given that he'll have to chase around smaller shooting guards. But some more defensive grit, some tighter defense on the perimeter and causing some extra turnovers would be great.

Hood told me about midway through the season that he wants to become a lockdown defender. He'll have to become more of a pest defensively to get there, but he's solid as is.

Outlook

Overall, Hood's proven himself to be a critical part of the Jazz's core moving forward. He's a relatively old second year player, and will turn 24 before the 2016-17 season begins. It's possible that what you see is what you get with Hood: a skilled offensive perimeter threat, capable of making his own shot with average efficiency and smart defense. That's already worth a lot of money.

But if Hood can take strides in getting to the hoop and getting fouled, he can move from "weapon" to "offensive centerpiece." That's a gigantic leap, and not one many players have made.

If that proves difficult, Hood's other path forward isn't as a star, per se, but in improving himself as an outside shooter and defender, becoming a fantastic 3-and-D guy with additional versatility. Guys like Wesley Matthews and Khris Middleton have shown that 3-and-D is no longer an unappreciated role, having signed max or near-max contracts with their respective teams.

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