2023 NBA Draft: Get to know Jalen Hood-Schifino
Overview
Jalen Hood-Schifino spent the 2022-23 season with the Indiana Hoosiers. In his first and only collegiate season, he was awarded Big Ten Freshman of the Year and voted to Second-team All-Big Ten behind 13.5 points on 42/33/78 shooting, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 33.1 minutes per game. Arguably the best game of his campaign occurred Feb. 25 against Purdue, where he accumulated 35 points (14-24 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 6-7 FT), seven rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. Prior to college, the guard won back-to-back GEICO High School Basketball National titles in his junior and senior years at Montverde Academy in Florida. He was invited to play in the Jordan Brand Classic, where he scored 14 points and drilled four triples, and he worked out with NBA players, including Paul George.
Analysis
Hood-Schifino is a big point guard, standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing in at 215 pounds. He has lead point guard skills – great vision, passing and handling – which helped him thrive in traditional pick-and-roll settings. He likes the mid-range jumper, but has the size to bully smaller guards on hard drives. Given his size and quickness, he could defend multiple positions in the NBA and was aggressive on that end of the floor in college.
Projection
It’s unlikely Hood-Schifino will be given the keys to an NBA offense out of the gate, but his upside as a combo guard that can run an offense and make his presence felt on defense gives him a strong chance at a meaningful reserve role to begin his career. There are shades of Bradley Beal, Spencer Dinwiddie and CJ McCollum to Hood-Schifino’s game, especially in terms of size, but the prospect projects as more of a passer and less of a 3-point shooter than those three.
2023 NBA Draft Prospect Highlights: Jalen Hood-Schifino
— Profile by RotoWire