It’s no secret the Los Angeles Lakers could be in the market for an upgrade at the guard position this offseason.
D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Lonnie Walker IV and Dennis Schroder will be free agents, and it seems virtually impossible for the team to bring back all four on new contracts.
In addition, the Lakers may want to take a big swing and try to add star power in the backcourt, whether through a trade or the upcoming 2023 NBA Draft.
One interesting guard prospect they worked out ahead of the draft is Jalen Hood-Schifino, a guard out of Indiana University.
Hood-Schifino has some serious potential
Hood-Schifino isn’t super athletic, but he is a 6-foot-6, 215-pound ball-handling guard who has plenty of tools to work with. He can make things happen in a set offensive environment, and he is good at spotting open teammates as well as getting teammates open by shifting opposing defenses.
He averaged 3.7 assists a game this past season, which doesn’t sound impressive, but his passing and facilitating skills go beyond that mere stat.
The Pittsburgh native also has some scoring ability, although he’s not the greatest finisher at the rim. He is not a very efficient player at this point of his development, but he did put up 13.5 points a game during the 2022-23 season.
Defensively, his height and 6-foot-10 wingspan allow him to harass opponents and guard multiple positions. He doesn’t come up with a lot of steals, but he has the ability to play solid positional D.
Hood-Schifino is a poor 3-point shooter right now. He converted 33.3% of his attempts from downtown this past season, and he must improve this part of his game to give himself a serious future at the next level. He also committed 2.8 turnovers a game and could stand to improve in that department as well.
In addition, he isn’t a fast-break guard, which could make him an awkward fit for head coach Darvin Ham’s fast-paced offense.
Still, he just turned 20 years of age on June 19, so he could have plenty of upside. He is expected to go somewhere between the lottery range and the middle of the first round of the draft.
