The first of six preseason games for the Los Angeles Lakers kicked off Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs. An intriguing player to watch heading into this game was second-year guard Jalen Hood-Schifino.
This is the second straight training camp that Hood-Schifino has been praised as a standout, but the former Indiana Hoosier definitely struggled and displayed lack of confidence during his rookie year before he hurt his back and missed the end of the season.
As L.A. kicked off their exhibition schedule without LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Christian Wood, Jarred Vanderbilt and Cam Reddish, Hood-Schifino was able to get some playing time due to a lack of bodies.
In 27 minutes, the 21-year-old put up six points, four rebounds and six assists on 3-for-9 from the field. Despite shooting poorly, he was aggressive and showcased some impressive playmaking. After missing the back half of last season due to back surgery, Hood-Schifino shared that he felt healthy in his return to action.
“Health wise I felt good,” Hood-Schifino said. “It was my first game back since March. The last two months have just been getting after it with the guys so it was good to get out there and play against some real competition in a real live game.”
Clearly, the first-round pick looked more at ease and comfortable during Friday’s game. He seemed to feel the same way, thinking he handled things well.
“Yeah, it was a solid game,” he said. “I feel like I handled things well, I feel like I got guys in the right spots. Kept us organized at time. It’s the first game, first preseason game, so I’m just gonna continue to keep working, continue to keep building and just take it one game at a time.”
While Hood-Schifino may be on the outside looking in for a rotation spot, he believes that this game could be a building block as he can continue to show more in each preseason game.
“Yeah, now it’s official,” Hood-Schifino said. “Obviously it’s preseason but for me, playing 27 minutes tonight is a plus. It’s the first game so I just got to continue to keep getting better. The more I play, I feel like I’ll be able to showcase a little bit more. But I feel like today was a good starting point for me and at the end of the day, it’s a pleasure to be healthy and be on the court.”
There is still plenty of work to be done as the Pittsburgh native still has room to grow. With L.A. possessing a deep guard room, Hood-Schifino shared that he is willing to do whatever is asked of him.
“Yeah, at the end of the day I’m a basketball player so any way I can get on the floor is gonna be my focus,” he said. “Whatever Coach and them want me to do, I’m gonna do it. My goal is to each and every day continue to learn and get better and whatever Coach wants me to do, that’s what I’m gonna do.”
All offseason long, the conversation around Hood-Schifino has been a negative one with many believing that he is not ready to contribute to this Lakers team. But it was great to see a more confident version of the 6’5″ guard in Friday’s preseason opener and hopefully he can sustain that moving forward.
Jalen Hood-Schifino & Maxwell Lewis earning ‘positive reviews’ during workouts
A common theme that was pushed with head coach JJ Redick is creating a program with top-notch player development. Two players who were eager to improve this summer were Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis, reportedly earning ‘positive reviews’ during their workouts.
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