Jazz take SF Rodney Hood with 23rd pick

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) The Utah Jazz selected Duke forward Rodney Hood with the No. 23 pick of the NBA draft Thursday night.

Hood, 21, played one year at Mississippi State and then sat out a season before averaging 16.1 points and shooting 42 percent from behind the 3-point line as a team captain at Duke.

The 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward was named to the 2014 All-ACC second Team and is the first Duke player ever drafted by the Jazz, who recently hired former Duke player Quin Snyder as their head coach.

The left-handed sharpshooter gives Utah some insurance in case the team is not able to retain restricted free agent Gordon Hayward. Hood can score off the dribble and is regarded as a good defender.