PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers will be without starting forward Rodney Hood the rest of the season after he tore his left Achilles tendon during Friday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Hood suffered the injury in the first quarter of Portland’s 136-113 loss to the Lakers. Hood needed assistance being helped off the court and didn’t put any pressure on his left leg.
Prior to Friday’s game, Hood told The Oregonian that his was dealing with discomfort with his Achilles. Head coach Terry Stotts said after the game that Hood had “cleared all protocols” to play in Friday’s game.
Hood was having one the best seasons of his career, averaging 11.5 points per game while shooting 49% on 3-pointers, third-best in the NBA.
After the game, Blazers players offered support for Hood but were also visibly distressed that their dedicated and well-liked teammate was out for the season.
The loss of Hood is the latest setback for a Blazers franchise that has been decimated by injuries in 2019. Starting forward Zach Collins is out until at least March after having surgery to repair damage from a dislocated shoulder injury he suffered during Portland’s third game of the season. In March, beloved center Jusuf Nurkic suffered a gruesome leg injury that he isn’t expected to come back from until sometime in 2020.
Hood’s injury also comes right as it appeared the Blazers were hitting their stride after a slow start to the season. Going into Friday night’s game, the Blazers had won four of their last five games, aided by the offensive production of the team’s new starting lineup of Hassan Whiteside, Carmelo Anthony, Hood, CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard.
While it’s still early in the season, Portland has a 9-14 record and is two games out of the playoffs. Now, the Blazers must move forward without their 3-point sharpshooter.
On Saturday, the team transferred two-way forward Jaylen Hoard from the Texas Legends of the NBA G League to Portland.
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