Rodney Hood was a key piece of the three-team midseason trade that netted the title-contending Cleveland Cavaliers Rodney Hood and George Hill as they looked to bolster their roster for another run at the crown alongside LeBron James. Hood was a versatile weapon on offense for the Jazz who averaged 16.8 points in 39 games, but has seen his role -- and production -- drop significantly for the Cavs this season.
Hood struggled to maintain a spot in Cleveland's rotation for much of the season, averaging only 10.8 points per game during the regular season as a Cavaliers player, and his lack of contributions have been exacerbated in the postseason, where he's averaged 4.6 points and made only 14 playoff appearances.
"This is something different. It has been tough," Hood told The Undefeated. "The basketball stuff has been the easiest part. The stuff that comes out of it, you lose a game and everyone talks about it on TV the next day. They may say some things that you may not agree with.
"You lose a game and you feel like the world is coming down. You win, it's like, you're supposed to win. It's still a struggle to me to adapt to that."
Hood has hardly been a factor over the course of what has essentially amounted to an entire series. In the past six games of the postseason, dating back to the Eastern Conference Finals series against the Celtics, he's logged only three total minutes, and had as many DNPs (five) as points scored (5) in that frame.
"I was playing at such a high clip when I got traded," Hood said. "And then, this is my first time having DNPs in my life…. Having to adjust is the toughest part. It's a part of my growth."
Golden State and Cleveland will face off for Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET, where the little-used Hood could be an X-factor for the Cavs as they aim to steal a game on the road before the series shifts back to Cleveland.
