Report: Ty Lue believes Rodney Hood could be team’s second-leading scorer

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue may be looking to Rodney Hood to be the team’s second-leading scorer next season.

On Tuesday, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters that he believes shooting guard Rodney Hood could become the team’s second-leading scorer behind All-Star Kevin Love after seeing him early in training camp.

Quote transcribed by Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal:

"“Right now he’s probably going to be our second-leading scorer behind Kevin [Love]. That’s what I see,” Lue said. “Scoring the basketball, attacking the basket, doing everything with pace and speed.” “Having those last two games against Golden State where he played well, that’s the Rodney Hood that we know. For him getting a taste of that on the big stage, in the Finals, I think did a lot for him. That’s the talent that he is and that’s what we’re going to need from him every night.”"

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It almost goes without saying that if Hood is to become the team’s second-leading scorer, then he’s going to be taking a major step forward after averaging 10.8 points on 9.5 shots per game (with a true shooting percentage of 53.3) last season for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

As arguably the fourth option, Hood was far different than the player he was with the Utah Jazz.

He was heavily utilized by Jazz head coach Quin Snyder’s offense (26.7 percent usage rate), averaging 16.8 points on 14.2 shots per game (with a true shooting percentage of 55.1) prior to the trade. In pick-and-rolls and isolation opportunities, he was both efficient and utilized more than he was in Cleveland.

Compared to his 18.3 percent usage rate with the Cavs, he was just more utilized in general; with Cleveland he was playing off-ball more than he had been asked to earlier in the season.

Both Hood and Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue would acknowledge that was the case last season but the Cavs have different plans this season:

Lue, per Ridenour:

"“He came from Utah where coach [Quin] Snyder ran a lot of stuff for him coming off the bench and kind of ran the offense through him,” Lue said. “Coming to a situation where LeBron had the ball in his hands a lot, the second unit was different with [Kyle] Korver and different guys, it was a change for him and to only have 30 games with that change was tough.“Now he understands what we’re looking for, he’s going to be a big option on this team. He knows where his shots are coming from now, so that’s a good thing.”"

Now, Hood will be looked to return to the role he had beside Rookie of the Year runner-up Donovan Mitchell in Utah, that of the team’s second option.

Hood, per Ridenour:

"“Last year was kind of tough to do that on the fly. With the team we have now, he wants me to be real aggressive and try to score the ball. He’s going to put me in position, so I’m excited to see what that looks like.”"

The primary difference between being a second option with the Cavs is that rather than being the beta to another wing, Hood will play the beta to a big man who can score from inside and out.

Therefore, there’s a greater chance that Hood can be a coordinated 1-2 punch; it’ll be easier for him to find rhythm beside a less ball-dominant player.

In fact, Hood and Love had already shown some solid chemistry in the pick-and-roll last season.

Hood’s biggest weakness as a scorer was just that, his lack of strength. However, by adding a few pounds of muscle to his frame over the summer, he looks more equipped to finish through contact.

He even worked on his post-ups and ball-handling in the summer.

If he’s attacking more, generally, then he’ll have more opportunities for free-throw chances. Shooting 82.8 percent from the free-throw line last season and 86.0 percent from the charity stripe for his career, drawing fouls will be an efficient way to add points.

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In an uptempo attack, such as the one Lue is installing already, Hood’s opportunities to score will only increase.

On-ball scoring aside, Hood will need to move more when he’s off-ball in order to get involved. Whether it was scheme or a personal decision, Hood was too often glued to one spot on the perimeter when he was with the Cavs last season.

Cuts, curls and running through screens may require a different level of conditioning for Hood but will ultimately be helpful.

Aside from his scoring, it’ll be interesting to see if Hood shows growth in his all-around game this season.

His playmaking ability was growing last season and with James gone, he’ll have more opportunities to make plays for others. With James gone, there’s also a rebounding void that will likely to more than one player to help fill.

Defensively, Hood’s intensity should be his primary focus. He has the length and solid athleticism, so he should have a better defensive reputation than he has. Yet, watching him, he’s not a particularly aggressive defender despite his physical attributes.

*All stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com