Duke basketball standout continues to look healthier after return

After a devastating injury to a former Duke basketball standout, the guard looks very healthy. 

Arguably the most devastating injury in sports is a ruptured Achilles tendon, but a former Duke basketball standout continues to progress in his return to the court.

Rodney Hood found a home in Portland with the Trail Blazers and developed into a role on a playoff team, which was vital to the team’s success.

Then he went down early last season with an Achilles injury, and his future was very much in doubt.

Hood ruptured his tendon in a matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, and it was quickly made known how respected the former Blue Devil is across the NBA as players from both teams poured out onto the court to check on the former first-round pick.

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However, despite not playing for the remainder of the season, nor in the resumed season last summer, Rodney Hood is back on the floor and is consistently getting more comfortable in his return.

Prior to January 18, Hood had yet to play more than 16 minutes in a game this season, never scoring more than five points.

The slow return to play was expected for a player coming off a horrific injury, but then head coach Terry Stotts let his veteran loose against the San Antonio Spurs.

Duke basketball standout shows pre-injury abilities

In a 125-104 loss to the Spurs, Hood logged the most minutes since suffering the injury and also chipped in a season-high in points.

The former Blue Devil dropped 21 points in 25 minutes on 9-of-14 shooting from the field.

Starting for the injured CJ McCollum (foot), Hood scored the second-most points on the team behind Damian Lillard, who poured in 35 points in the loss.

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Monday night was Hood’s first start since December 6, 2019.

Rodney Hood was back in the starting lineup on Sunday against the New York Knicks (8-10), where he set a season-high in minutes again with 27, but he only added seven points on 3-of-6 shooting in a 116-113 victory.

The Portland Trail Blazers (9-6) will host the Oklahoma City Thunder (6-9) in the second game of a back-to-back on Monday, January 25 at 10:00pm EST.