NBA Draft Scouting Report: Indiana's Jalen Hood-Schifino

Scouting Report: Jalen Hood-Schifino

Contents

1. Prospect Profile
2. Highlights 
3. Draft Projection
4. 2023 Big Board

Jalen Hood-Schifino

Guard | Indiana 

Height: 6'5” | Weight: 210 lbs

2023 Draft Age: 20.01 

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Prospect Profile

A legitimate two-way talent, Hood-Schifino is a prospect that was pinned as someone who could rise up draft boards throughout his freshman season at Indiana, which is exactly what happened. He’s one of the more patient guards in this class, which results in highly impactful offensive contributions and great decision making.

Hood-Schifino was the highest rated incoming freshman in the Big Ten, meaning expectations were high. He can play either guard spot or on the wing but has pure point guard instinct. A real playmaker, he makes his teammates better and understands winning basketball.

With these high expectations, Hood-Schifino had the opportunity to play a key role on an experienced Indiana team. He plays with high energy and emerged as a player that brings those around him to a new level.

As a scorer, Hood-Schifino has proven to be highly effective from two levels, but is working on the third. At times during his freshman season, he looked like a guy that could be a consistent 40% shooter from deep, but had many up and down stretches from that range throughout the year. Shooting was the swing skill for Hood-Schifino entering the season, and it's still somewhat unclear what his upside looks like in that respect. 

The Indiana prospect's effectiveness in the midrange leads you to think he’ll ultimately be fine from beyond the arc down the road. The mechanics of his triple are different than that of his midrange jumper, so he needs to find some consistency as he gets further from the rim.

On the topic of midrange, this is where Hood-Schifino really showcases his patience. Most young players feel rushed in that range and often force shots or make the wrong read. Hood-Schifino is different, as he uses various paces and lets the right move come to him. Whether it’s allowing things to happen around him to find an open teammate or shooting it himself, he’s a great decision maker. He’s got a reliable jumper from this range and also is effective with a smooth, tight floater.

He’s also great off the bounce and really thrives as a play finisher at the rim. The 6-foot-5 guard draws a ton of attention in doing so and is a willing passer out to teammates when defenses collapse.

Overall as a scorer, Hood-Schifino is more smooth than he is explosive. He’s got incredible change of speed and plays with great pace when attacking. Once he gets into the paint, he’s got good body control and doesn’t shy away from contact. He also has no problem finishing with either hand at a high level.

A legitimate lead guard, Hood-Schifino generally makes the right plays although his turnovers were fairly high. He’s able to impact the game even without scoring.

Defensively, he is great at the point of attack and boasts awesome footwork and lateral speed. He has the size and tools to defend upwards of three positions at a high level. He’s got a unique toughness and a knack for the ball on that end and loves to pick his opponent’s pocket. Simply put, he just gets it on that end. Hood-Schifino’s defensive is a huge driver of winning and his IQ is extremely high as a natural defender.

He’s the type of player you trust in the game during crunch time as he truly impacts winning. Hood-Schifino’s patience really sticks out as he analyzes each situation and let’s the right play come to him.

If he can prove the perimeter shot is real during workouts in the pre-draft process, the former five-star recruit could go in the middle part of the first round this summer. 

Before coming to Indiana, Hood-Schifino played against the top competition in the country at Montverde Academy, where he played alongside Dariq Whitehead (Duke), Dillon Mitchell (Texas) and Skyy Clark (Louisville transfer) among others. Hood-Schifino led the team to back-to back national championships before his career came to an end.

This season at Indiana, it was fantastic to see him run a two-man game with Trayce Jackson-Davis. The Big Ten is a premier conference where play is extremely physical, which proved to be no problem for Hood-Schifino. As the season went on, he continued to rise up boards and could up being an underrated jumbo guard selection. 

Highlights 

Draft Projection

Mid to Late First-Round Pick in 2023 NBA Draft.

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2023 Big Board

Want to know more about other potential 2023 NBA Draft prospects and where they might get selected? Check out our Draft Digest Pro Big Board.

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