I’m just excited to get the season started. We’ve put in a lot of work, starting back in training camp. We got familiar with each other. It’s just time to get going now. – Jazz forward Rodney Hood
SALT LAKE CITY — They haven’t been given pink princess backpacks. Teammates have not required them to deliver a daily assortment of doughnuts. And they still don’t have a real minute of NBA action on their basketball resumes.
Yet.
All of that is about to happen for Utah Jazz rookies Dante Exum and Rodney Hood.
Utah’s two first-round picks from the 2014 draft will accomplish at least part of that list come Wednesday night when the Jazz host the Houston Rockets in the season opener.
“I’m just excited to get the season started,” Hood said. “We’ve put in a lot of work, starting back in training camp. We got familiar with each other. It’s just time to get going now.”
Exum, the 19-year-old with oodles of expectations and potential, couldn’t agree more.
“I’m feeling good,” Exum said. “ … I’ve worked for this.”
The pair of first-year players came to Utah for their first professional playing opportunity from vastly different backgrounds.
Exum, the son of Michael Jordan’s former North Carolina teammate Cecil Exum, grew up in Australia, burst onto the international scene as a teenager, and then bypassed college to train for the draft in Southern California.
Before getting selected fifth overall by the Jazz in June, Exum was as mysterious as he was intriguing due to his rare combination of size, speed, court vision and athleticism.
“I believe in him,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder, also a rookie as an NBA head coach, said after Monday’s practice.
“He gets better and better every single game,” Hood added. “He’s getting more aggressive. He shows a lot of flashes. (We’ve) both got to lean on each other.”
Hood grew up in the South, beginning his college career near home at Mississippi State before becoming just the fourth player to transfer to Duke in the Mike Krzyzewski era. The 6-foot-8 player became known for being a deep threat — he was the ACC’s 3-point leader last year — but he’s shown an ability to drive and defend since joining the Jazz as the No. 23 pick of the draft.
Exum called the 22-year-old Hood “a great shooter” and admitted he was surprised at the level of defense his new teammate displayed.
“I’m expecting a lot of things for him,” Exum said of Hood. “And hopefully he’s expecting the same for me.”
Both Exum and Hood are in a fortuitous situation in that they’ve joined a team smack dab in the middle of rebuild mode.
Some rookies have to wait for their playing opportunities.
These youngsters worked their way into the rotation — in part because of how Jazz management assembled the roster — and will be given ample chances to play significant minutes from the get-go.
Asked about that, Snyder mentioned the fact that the Jazz are the second-youngest team in the NBA behind the Sixers (and just barely, 24.1 age average compared to Philly at 24.0 before opening-day rosters were officially set).
“They’ve got to get better and play well,” Snyder said, matter of factly. “We‘ve just got a lot of guys doing the same thing at the same time, which can present some challenges.”
Snyder hinted that the transition to the NBA might be a bit rougher at first for Exum because he didn’t play organized basketball for a year before the draft. Hood was tested in the ACC and the NCAA with a power program at Duke.
The coach is eager to give both young guys game experience against top-level competition, which can spark growth while revealing strengths and weaknesses.
Though a roller-coaster ride is expected — similar to the preseason when Hood and Exum had highs and lows — Snyder is high on his NBA newcomers.
“I like what they’ve done. I think both of them have been kind of through ups and downs, like rookies will be,” Snyder said. “There’s certain things that they’re only going to learn by playing.
“They’re going to struggle at times, whether it’s foul trouble or a turnover, a missed shot, fatigue, youth. But it’s a long haul. It’s like two steps forward, one step back.”
Snyder made a Wall Street comparison about the players whom he’s lauded for working hard and learning quickly.
“Look at the Dow Jones,” Snyder said. “Hopefully, they’re blue chips.”
Both players are just hoping to increase their stock worth this season while helping the Jazz take more steps forward than back this season.
“Individually,” Hood said, “I just want to come in and make an impact, whether it’s scoring the ball, bringing energy, just make an impact on the game and not treat myself as a rookie, playing like I belong.”
Exum, who’ll be starting point guard Trey Burke’s primary backup, believes he’s ready despite his age, inexperience, pressure and shooting inconsistency.
“It’s definitely excitement. I’ve played all of these preseason games (and) with the Australian team. That’s prepared me,” he said. “I’ve got nothing to be nervous about. I’m just going out there to give it my all and hopefully get a good run.”
They both laughed when asked about the inevitable good-natured rookie hazing treatment they’re about to get. The pink backpacks. The daily doughnuts. Carrying bags. Fetching food for teammates.
“They said as the season starts it’s going to get worse,” Exum said, grinning. “The worse thing is singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to people. Other than that, it’s been good.”
Exum even had to sing to himself on his birthday in July. Hood got out of it last week because the Jazz had an off-day on his B-day. They did have to sing for 27-year-old Jeremy Evans last week, though.
As for the rest, Hood has heard rookie tales from Novak, but he’s actually excited to experience the first-year fun.
“You kind of get excited about it,” the good-natured rookie said. “It’s just something you’re going to remember for the rest of your years.”
Hood admitted teammates have kind of warned him what’s in store, including the morning pastry requirement.
“They said it’ll start,” Hood said about the doughnut deliveries. “But I won’t mention it and maybe they’ll forget.”
Consider that wishful thinking his first rookie mistake.
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