5 Toronto Raptors players who attended North Carolina or Duke
By Mike Luciano
4. Rodney Hood (Duke)
Admit it, some of you forgot Hood even played for the Raptors. Acquired in the same deal that brought a second Duke alum to Toronto, Hood averaged just 3.9 points per game on 36% shooting during his half-season with the Raptors. He’s one of just a handful of players to play for the Raptors and never set foot in Toronto.
This is a shame, as his Achilles injuries robbed us of a fantastic scorer. Hood averaged 16.1 points per game at Duke before averaging 12.5 points per game in six years with Utah, Cleveland, and Portland. His injury has sapped him of the athletic ability so many fell in love with.
The Toronto Raptors never got the best out of Rodney Hood.
While Hood eventually signed with Milwaukee and earned himself a trade to the Clippers, the odds of him recapturing his past glory are shrinking with each passing day. Hood is an end-of-the-bench player just a few years removed from being a respectable shooter on playoff teams.
Still, Hood can claim to have been a solid use of a first-round pick before his injuries. A somewhat promising player at Mississippi State before transferring to Duke, Hood stands as one of Coach K’s most recent developmental success stories.