Hopefully, I won’t have this problem again. Yeah, it’s tough, but I’ve just got to be patient and understand I (could have made) it worse by trying to be tough and trying to play on it. I’ve just got to listen to the trainers. – Jazz rookie Rodney Hood
SALT LAKE CITY — Getting his feet underneath him as a rookie in the NBA has been a frustrating and painful process for Utah Jazz swingman Rodney Hood.
Earlier this season, the 22-year-old missed 10 games due to a bout of plantar fasciitis in his right foot that made him feel like he was walking on glass.
On Friday, the former Duke athlete played after having missed the previous seven games with left foot inflammation.
“It’s just bad luck,” he said before tipoff.
Hood, who’s been doing treatment and patiently waiting for his foot to heal, is hopeful the worst is behind him.
“Hopefully, I won’t have this problem again,” he said. “Yeah, it’s tough, but I’ve just got to be patient and understand I (could have made) it worse by trying to be tough and trying to play on it. I’ve just got to listen to the trainers.”
They finally gave him the green light Friday.
Playing with a minutes restriction, Hood came off the bench to score five points and grab five rebounds in the 94-85 win over the Lakers.
“My foot felt great,” Hood said while exiting the locker room after his first game since Dec. 30. “My conditioning was a little down, but that will come with time.”
Hood was also excited to hit his first 3-pointer since Dec. 29.
“It felt great,” he said. “(I was) just going back and forth with somebody (Wayne Ellington) on their team and hit that shot. It was a big play.” His teammates liked it, too. Jazz small forward Gordon Hayward rushed over to Hood, and jumped into him from behind during a break in action after the rookie gave him an assist on the play.
“He’s very valuable to us. He can shoot it. He can drive it,” said Hayward, who scored 31 points with seven assists in the win. “He plays with a lot of energy. He’s really active defensively, huge rebounds.”
Getting Hood back will help a team that has to play the rest of the 2014-15 season without starting shooting guard Alec Burks (shoulder surgery) and has relied on 10-day contract players Elijah Millsap and Elliot Williams to fill wing minutes in recent weeks.
Hood, the 23rd pick of the 2014 draft, has averaged 5.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 23 games.
“We’ve got guys who are all banged up and it’s a long season,” Hayward added. “Trying to get guys healthy is huge, and having (Hood) back was really good.”
Hood showed his feisty side a few times Friday when the Dukie went back and forth with Ellington, who played for his college’s rival, North Carolina. Both players received technical fouls after they bumped into each other and exchanged words.
“That’s over now,” Hood said, cracking a grin. “It’s just all about competition.”
Jazz coach Quin Snyder liked what he saw from Hood, who was starting in Burks' place before this latest injury.
“Rodney gives us some energy. You can feel him when he goes into the game,” Snyder said, adding that he was impressed that Hood hit that 3-pointer. “It seemed like he got in the flow of the game. He was mixing it up defensively, which we like to see.”
JAZZ NOTE: Two days after signing Millsap to a second 10-day contract, the Jazz extended the same deal to Williams. The guard has averaged 2.7 points and 8.6 minutes in three games since being called up from the D-League a week and a half ago.
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