The Case For Rodney Hood

What is Rodney Hood’s upside?

Rodney Hood has a lot of similarities to Golden State Warrior, Klay Thompson.  The ability to catch-and-shoot, and get a great shot off with textbook form are there. Klay Thompson expanded his abilities; in the way he attacks the paint for a mid-range game, as well as defensively.  This has made him a more consistent, dynamic second option for the Golden State Warriors team.

Both players coming out of the NCAA ranks were known as shooters, but not particularly strong defensively, and just decent off-the-dribble.  Hood shows far more aggression and attacks the basket in straight lines to the hoop.  Thompson opted to pull up from midrange.  Statistically, Hood is the better shooter inside the painted area, slightly better behind the arc, and dead even across the board in a comparison to Klay Thompson.  While Klay needed help defensively, he improved gradually the past couple of years, and often takes on the opposing team’s top offensive option. He does a great job with effort, lateral movement, and using his length to force low percentage shots.

A taller, better attacking Klay Thompson?  The Lakers could use a shooter and top-tier offensive option like that.