3 prospects the Lakers should have taken over Jalen Hood-Schifino
The NBA Draft can often be a crapshoot, especially once it advances past the lottery. The 2023 draft was notable for featuring a generational prospect in Victor Wembanyama at the top, but even after the 7-foot-3 Frenchman, other draftees such as Brandon Miller, Grady Dick and Amen Thompson have already proven that they can be quality NBA players.
The Los Angeles Lakers, by virtue of having to swap with the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the trade that brought Anthony Davis to L.A. in 2019, picked 17th in the 2023 draft, where they chose Indiana freshman point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino.
Hood-Schifino was seen as an upside pick at the time after winning Big Ten Rookie of the Year behind 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Hoosiers. Since turning pro though, he's struggled to make an impact. Most of his time has been spent in the G League with the South Bay Lakers, and though he averaged 22 points per game last year, that hasn't translated into success on the bigger stage.
The Lakers have had a need at point guard. D'Angelo Russell was benched back in November, then traded last week to the Brooklyn Nets. Still, Hood-Schifino hasn't gotten a look, as he's only played in two games for a total of 14 minutes all year. Those are Bronny James numbers.
The benefit of hindsight has shown the Lakers that they would have been better served by passing on Hood-Schifino and going in a different direction. Here are three players that general manager Rob Pelinka would probably draft instead if he had the choice again.
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Jaime Jaquez
What hurts most about Pelinka's mistake is that it was entirely avoidable. Jaime Jaquez, a Pac-12 Player of the Year and Second Team All-American who helped lead UCLA to the Final Four, went just one pick after Hood-Schifino. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are all about championships or bust, not developing multi-year projects, and Jaquez was there for the taking. His experience and polished game fit much better with the Lakers' timeline than the green Hood-Schifino.
Pat Riley was probably laughing as his former team passed on a player that played in Pauley Pavilion, less than a half-hour from team headquarters. Jaquez went on to average 11.9 points in over 28 minutes per game for the Heat, ultimately finishing fourth in Rookie of the Year voting behind Wemby, Chet Holmgren (who was eligible because he missed the entire 2022-23 season due to injury) and Brandon Miller, each of whom was a top-two pick.
Jimmy Butler sure looks like he's on the way on in Miami, and if Riley does trade him, part of the reason why is because he knows that Jaquez can step in at small forward and help the Heat win.
Brandin Podziemski
Golden State's Brandin Podziemski has been viewed as a disappointment in his second season, but that's only because he set the bar high as a rookie. Despite going with the 19th pick to the Warriors, he finished ninth among rookies in points, fourth in assists and fifth in rebounds. The only rookie to finish ahead of him in each category was Wemby. Without his contributions, the Warriors likely wouldn't have snuck into the play-in with the 10th seed in the West.
Podziemski has a lot of Austin Reaves in his game, and having the chance to learn alongside L.A.'s third banana would have made a lot of sense. He showed an aptitude for pushing the ball on the break and shooting from the outside in his rookie year, and though his three-point shooting numbers have dropped nine percent this year, the rest of his game is in a similar spot.
Podziemski's shooting woes are no reason to give up on him so early in his career, especially after he showed such promise last year. Steve Kerr's expanded rotation could be contributing to Podziemski's confidence issues, but on the Lakers, he'd have more room to cook.
Some players specialize in one aspect of the game, but Podziemski's ability to contribute in a variety of areas would have made him a great pick in place of Hood-Schifino.
Marcus Sasser
If the Lakers were determined to take a point guard with the 17th pick, they should have gone with Marcus Sasser out of Houston. Like Jaquez, Sasser was a four-year player, an All-American and the leader of a team that reached the Final Four.
The Lakers have struggled mightily with perimeter defense the past couple seasons. Sasser was the most accomplished defensive guard in the draft thanks to having led Kelvin Sampson's swarming Cougars D, and he could have immediately stepped in to give L.A. some much-needed toughness. His 114.0 defensive rating this year would rank him 12th among all NBA guards if he had enough minutes.
Sasser was a proven winner in college. In his four years in Houston, the Cougs went 125-19 while reaching the Sweet 16 or better every year. That kind of pedigree would have fit in perfectly with LeBron's chase for a fifth ring.
Sasser has seen a reduction in minutes under new Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff, but now that Jaden Ivey has gone down with a broken leg, it should give him the chance to show what he can do on a team that looks much more competent than the Monty Williams-led dumpster fire it was a year ago.