Utah Jazz: Alec Burks or Rodney Hood? Two good options for one starting job

Give Alec Burks this much — he deserves credit for being honest.

When asked on Monday afternoon about his role this season with the Utah Jazz, Burks — who is competing with Rodney Hood to be the starter at shooting guard — could've given a diplomatic answer and dance around the subject. But that's not him.

Burks said point-blank that he wants to be the starter, he wants to play a lot. Professional basketball is high-level competition, and any player worth his salt wants to be on the floor.

So he gave his honest assessment, even if the two have forged a close relationship off the court.

"At the end of the day, we all want to be the starter," Burks said. "But it's coach Q's (Quin Snyder) decision. We're going to compete and push with each other on the floor. But we all have each other's backs."

That competition between Burks and Hood will be intriguing to watch through training camp, if for no other reason than the two both have the talent to start in the NBA. Burks proved as much at the beginning of last season, as he was Utah's second-best perimeter player behind Gordon Hayward, before a torn labrum ended his year.

Hood came on at the end of his rookie campaign, shooting and slashing his way into the hearts of many fans. By all accounts, he may be the most improved player on the roster, having appeared that way in Summer League in July.

Hayward's spot in the lineup is secure. He's one of the top small forwards in the league, trending toward possible All-Star status, a playmaker and all-around force on both ends. That means one of Burks and Hood will start. The other will come off the bench.

On paper — especially with the Jazz starving for wing depth a year ago — that seems like a good issue to have.

"Alec's identity as a player offensively, he knows who he is," Snyder said. "He's a weapon. He can get to the basket, he's dynamic in transition. Rodney — I forget exactly what his stats were — he had a presence the last 10 games. The good thing is they are all unselfish people. They are all going to compete and want to play. But they are all supportive of one another. It's a great situation to have as a coach."

There are compelling reasons for both as a starter. As good as Hayward is off the dribble, Burks is arguably the best athlete on the team. He's capable of getting into the lane, making twisting, seemingly impossible, shots in traffic. If you turn your back on him, he'll dunk on you. At the time of his injury, he was playing his best basketball of the season. Not only that, the adage is a starter should never lose his spot due to injury.

As good as Burks can be, Hood showed uncommon scoring ability for someone his age at times last season. He is rare in that he can score consistently at all three levels of the floor. He's not the pure athlete Burks is, but he's bigger at 6-foot-8. He's crafty with the ball in his hands and has the ability to go on binges from 3-point range.

Both have improved defensively, and both are versatile on either end of the floor. The dominant question surrounding both lies in their ability to stay healthy.

"I think the most fun part about competing against each other is making each other better," Hood said. "We'll get better as time goes on, and if we do stay healthy, I feel we can compete against some of the best wing groups in the league."

Here's the good news for fans: Burks and Hood aren't mutually exclusive. Both are versatile enough that they can both be on the court at the same time. The Jazz seem to know this, which could explain why Hood even played some power forward during summer league. Burks at times last season played point guard.

Snyder acknowledged that Burks or Hood are capable of playing at point guard and could do so this year in different lineups with Dante Exum out with an ACL injury. General manager Dennis Lindsey spoke of their potential usage, which suggests that the Jazz wing contingent will have the ball in their hands — a lot.

"We're happy with the commitment our guys have and that we have a path," Snyder said.

In other words: It may not matter who comes off the bench, because that person is still likely to receive major minutes. But one thing that the Jazz certainly lacked last year was internal competition in some spots, Rudy Gobert and Enes Kanter in the post notwithstanding.

With Burks and Hood, that probably won't be an issue this time around.

tjones@sltrib.com

Twitter: @tjonessltrib