Lakers News: Report Reveals Key Skillset That Could Help LA Rookie Stick In Rotation
By all accounts, the Los Angeles Lakers had an excellent draft.
They selected Indiana guard Jalen Hood-Schifino with their first round pick, and got great value when they were able to pick Pepperdine's Maxwell Lewis at No. 40.
Both fill needs and have the potential to make an impact at the highest level, especially Hood-Schifino early on.
Hood-Schifino ran Indiana's offense when he was in Bloomington, and he excelled with the responsibility of being the Hoosiers' primary ball handler.
And J. Kyle Mann of The Ringer sees that paying dividends for Hood-Schifino, so much so that the No. 17 overall pick could find himself a part of the Lakers' rotation in year one.
"Jalen Hood-Schifino, the Lakers’ first-round pick this year, projects as the most likely to evolve into a full-time handler at this level. Out of the three young Lakers guards, he spent the most time on ball in college, where he carried a 25.8 percent usage rate and ranked in the 97th percentile in the country in time spent attempting dribble pull-up jumpers. The majority of those were 2s, and in that sense, he’s in that Booker-Beal-Herro (a top-tier outcome that you’re praying for if you’re the Lakers) stratum of players who enter the league primarily as pull-up shooters and show indicators that they could become more." (via J. Kyle Mann of The Ringer)
It's reasonable to project Hood-Schifino sliding into Los Angeles' second unit, given Dennis Schroder's departure in free agency.
Although you shouldn't expect him to make too significant of an impact as he gets his feet wet in the NBA, the way he was used at Indiana provides a good framework of how he can be utilized in LA.
Hood-Schifino doesn't figure to be playing off the ball, but given how comfortable he was in college running their offense, it could be a smooth transition for Hood-Schifino on the ball in the NBA, especially with quality depth around the rookie.
