The Los Angeles Lakers have made a bold move with regard to the future of their first-round selection in the 2023 NBA Draft. L.A.
has reportedly decided not to pick up the third-year option for young point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, sources inform Shams Charania of ESPN . He will now become an unrestricted free agent next summer, meaning he essentially needs to prove his case as an NBA talent this season while his current team has essentially punted on his upside. Hood-Schifino, 21, has yet to make a dent in new Los Angeles head coach JJ Redick's rotation this season.
The Indiana product also couldn't crack former head coach Darvin Ham's lineups last year before undergoing a season-ending lumbar microdiscectomy in late March 2024. In his 21 contests for Los Angeles as a rookie, Hood-Schifino mostly played mop-up minutes, averaging 1.6 points on .
222/.133/.600 shooting splits and 0.
6 rebounds across 5.2 minutes a night. Hood-Schifino did look better while playing for the Lakers' G League affiliate club, the South Bay Lakers, last year.
Presumably, he could get some more run there this season, too. In 15 bouts for South Bay, Hood-Schifino averaged 22.0 points while slashing .
473/.432/.800, along with 5.
3 dimes (against 3.3 turnovers), 4.7 boards, 0.
9 steals, and 0.6 blocks a night. The young guard is a raw developmental project, and theoretically would do his best with the rock in his hands — which it won't be in a talented Lakers offense.
Now, of course, L.A. has drafted ano.