No. 2 – Rodney Hood is averaging 3.8 points per game through 14 games for Milwaukee Bucks
Going hand-in-hand with his low shooting percentage with the Bucks, Hood’s points per game average has been significantly lower than what he is accustomed to.
Hood has a career average of 11.2 points per game. In spite of that, Hood has seen that number tank to 3.8 points per game this season. That would be the lowest mark of his career following a year where he averaged 4.5 points per game in 2020-21. Early on in his career, he made a name for himself as a quality scorer by averaging double digits in five of his past six seasons. However, he has struggled to find that part of his game since the aforementioned Achilles injury and several other injuries last season.
The most concerning part of Hood’s slow start to the season is that he is struggling in Mike Budenholzer’s system. Since Coach Bud’s arrival in Milwaukee, the Bucks have seen numerous players elevate their game or have renaissances in their performance. The example that Bucks fans would know the best that has benefited from Budenholzer’s system is Bobby Portis. On the other hand, Hood has not been able to take off the same way that players like Portis have with coach Budenholzer.
It’s unfortunate to see Hood struggle so far in a Bucks uniform. He’s a very easy player to root for after his Achilles injury. He’s been a great bench piece for contending teams in the past and maybe he can still be that for the Bucks as he gets more runs with the team. Despite all of his previous achievements, Hood is going to need to elevate his scoring output to prove that he has earned a spot in the team’s rotation.