Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 takeaways from Game 3 vs. Warriors

3. Rodney Hood answers the call

After Jordan Clarkson accumulated just six points on 23.1 percent shooting in the first two games of this series, Cavs coach Tyronn Lue knew a change had to be made.

Before Game 3, he announced Rodney Hood would get some minutes, as Lue hoped he could rediscover what made Cleveland trade for him in the first place.

More from Cleveland Cavaliers

• Latest intel calls Donovan Mitchell’s future with the Cavs into question
• 5 players who will challenge Victor Wembanyama for Rookie of the Year
• Cleveland Cavaliers: Analyzing the Max Strus acquisition
• Ranking the 5 best available shooting guards in 2023 NBA free agency
• NBA Rumors: Cavs have secret weapon to lure LeBron back to Cleveland

Major props should be given to Hood, who’s played sparingly throughout the postseason, but was clearly ready enough for the moment to produce 15 big points on an efficient 7-of-11 shooting.

This was the type of spark that the Cavs needed off their bench — someone who could handle the ball and make plays for himself.

Clarkson clearly couldn’t handle such responsibilities, but Hood thrived, attacking relentlessly without spiraling out of control, pulling up for floaters just outside the restricted area and making six of his shots from that range.

Whether or not Hood would’ve produced such numbers in Golden State is an interesting question to pose. Maybe if Lue went to him in Games 1 and 2, the outcome would’ve been different.

There’s no reason to play the “what if” game now, though. What matters is that Hood got his moment and thrived with it, forcing Lue to give him more minutes for however much longer this series lasts.