After an injury-plagued rookie season, the pressure is on Jalen Hood-Schifino to live up to his spot in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Step one was getting back on the court for Hood-Schifino, who was shut down by the Los Angeles Lakers in March after a procedure on his back. He missed the remainder of the regular season and the NBA Summer League.
But Hood-Schifino has been back on the floor for team workouts with the Lakers, and according to a report by Dan Woike of the LA Times, he is showing promise this summer.
“Both Hood-Schifino and (Maxwell) Lewis, though, have earned positive reviews during this stage of the offseason,” wrote Woike. “It’s especially encouraging for Hood-Schifino, a player mostly spoken about in the context of the three players picked behind him: Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. at No. 18, Golden State’s Brandin Podziemski at 19, and Houston’s Cam Whitmore at 20.”
“Hood-Schifino didn’t come close to contributing last season, a knee injury slowing him at the start of the year and a back injury ending it early,” Woike continued. “Finding and creating pathways for success for young, improving players is critical for (new Lakers head coach J.J. Redick) as he and the Lakers try to thread the needle between maximizing LeBron James’ late prime while building for whatever is next.”
The Lakers reported Hood-Schifino underwent a successful lumbar microdiscectomy procedure on March 21. He appeared in just 21 games for the franchise as a rookie and averaged 5.2 minutes and 1.6 points per game. He spent time in the G League where he averaged 22 points and shot 43.2% from three.
Last season started with plenty of promise as well before the wave of injuries began to disrupt his rookie season. Then Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said a year ago he expected Hood-Schifino would have a long NBA career based on the way he was playing at the team’s training camp.
Hood-Schifino was chosen in the first round of the June NBA Draft with the 17th overall pick.
The Pittsburgh product started all 32 games played for IU in 2022-23. He was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year after he averaged 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 0.8 steals per game.
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