Cavs shooting guard Rodney Hood has shown flashes of the scoring capability he possesses through the early stages of this season. However, there have also been times when he’s shied away from the moment. Cleveland’s coaching staff has asked him to be more aggressive in the past, but the Mississippi native says he simply isn’t a gunner.
“I’m not a gunner,” Hood told cleveland.com when asked about others telling him to be more aggressive. “I think it’s not great for our team for me to be a gunner. We have a lot of guys who can score the ball. I draw attention. So when I draw attention, make the dump-off pass and make the right play, spray out to shooters and some nights we hit shots and it’s great and some nights we don’t hit shots and it’s like, ‘You need to shoot the ball more.’
“Just figuring it out,” Hood added. “Trying to figure out the even balance of being real aggressive and making plays like I’ve been trying to do.”
Hood is right. He’ll need to find that happy medium. The Cavs need him to be aggressive but there are others scorers on the team.
However, as a starting two-guard, his job is to score the rock.
To be fair, Hood’s numbers are up from last season’s 21-game stint with Cleveland. In his 29 appearances with the Cavs this season, he’s racked up averages of 13.0 points on 44.0 percent shooting from the field (38.0 percent from beyond the arc), 2.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and just under one steal (0.8) in 28.0 minutes per outing.
Though he’s has been a solid addition for the Cavs, the numbers Hood posted with the Utah Jazz are still far better.
Hood’s talent is evident but he knows there will still be a few learning curves ahead.
“I think this year has been exciting for me, it’s been good,” Hood said. “I’ve been great in spurts and there are other times where I’ve still been trying to figure it out.”
Hood and the Cavs (7-23 and 4th in the Central Division standings) will be back in action on Tuesday night, as they’re scheduled to face the Indiana Pacers.
Tip-off inside Bakers Life Fieldhouse is set for 7:00 p.m. EST with FOX Sports Ohio having live broadcast coverage.
