Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from preseason loss to Utah Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - OCTOBER 13 (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - OCTOBER 13 (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
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Milwaukee Bucks: Mike Budenholzer
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – OCTOBER 13 (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

The Milwaukee Bucks tend to struggle whenever they face the Utah Jazz on the road, a trend that continued in last night’s preseason action.

The Bucks rolled out their projected starting five for the 2021-22 season to begin the game for the second consecutive matchup, and the Jazz followed suit with a similar approach. Both teams would dig deep into their bench as the contest went on, but ultimately, Utah managed to stage a comeback in the closing minutes to secure the 124-120 victory on their home floor. The Bucks let this one slip away without question, as they have now dropped to 1-3 this preseason. With all that being said, let us look at the three biggest takeaways from last night’s matchup.

Rodney Hood’s debut with the Milwaukee Bucks does not go according to plan in preseason loss to Utah Jazz

After battling through some foot soreness over the past few weeks, Rodney Hood was officially set to make his Bucks debut against the Jazz. Hood played in Utah during the first three and a half years of his career, so this would be a homecoming for the guard, and fans were excited to see him in action for the first time against his former team. Well, things got off to a rocky start for Hood.

The guard struggled to find his footing in the matchup, going scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting from the floor, including 0-for-2 from deep. Although he saw his share of ball-handling duties, it quickly became disastrous as Hood finished with zero assists and two turnovers across nine and a half minutes played. It was a rough debut for Hood, who finished with a single game plus minutes of -11, the second-worst mark on the team, but better days are ahead.

Considering the injuries that Hood has battled through over the past year and that this foot issue hindered his ability to practice with the Bucks, there was expected to be some rust. It was indeed there last night from start to finish, which is somewhat understandable. On his best days, Hood is a walking double-digit scorer, but last night just was not his night. He looked far from great, but it does not mean fans should give up on him entirely just yet. Despite the struggles, it was great to see the veteran back out on the floor.