Lakers News: JJ Redick Clears the Air Behind Jalen Hood-Schifino Decision

Ricardo Sandoval | Nov 5, 2024

Sep 30, 2024; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Jalen Hood-Schifino (0) during media day at the UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers made a surprising move on Thursday that they would be declining the third-year rookie option on guard Jalen Hood-Schifino worth $4 million for next season. 

Hood-Schifino has yet to find his groove in the NBA, and because the Lakers made that move, he will become an unrestricted free agent in 2025. 

This will create roster flexibility for a Lakers team that is currently set to start the next offseason over the salary cap. 

Although the Lakers decided to go in this direction, it doesn't mean they are giving up on the 21-year-old just yet—at least if you ask Lakers head coach JJ Redick.

Redick cleared the air behind the Hood-Schifino decision to the media, including Jovan Buha of The Athletic. 

JJ Redick on JHS: “I still believe in Jalen. We haven’t given up on him.”

Redick notes that the Lakers wanted more flexibility for next offseason. They also want to give JHS a chance to get more reps and develop with South Bay this season and into next summer.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) November 1, 2024

In addition to this decision to decline his third-year team option, the option to trade him away is even stronger, and it seems that he has a few potential suitors on the open market.

Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report reported on the teams that could have their eye on Hood-Schifino. 

“He will be playing in the G League this year, and he’ll have plenty of opportunity to showcase himself, both in the G League in general and at the G league showcase when the entire league descends upon Orlando in December,” Fischer said. “Atlanta had an interest in him in that talk with Dejounte Murray last year. Utah, I believe, has shown interest in him.”

In the long run, this is a good choice for the Lakers, but it also shows how the decision to draft him was not a good one.

Hood-Schifino hasn't lived up to the hype so far but did look decent during his time with the South Bay Lakers in the G-League. He averaged 22.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 0.9 steals per game.

While his numbers with the South Bay Lakers are great, they are quite the opposite with the NBA Lakers. In just 21 games, he has averaged 1.6 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game, showing some issues translating his game to the NBA.

Things look bleak for Hood-Schinfo, and while there is still plenty of time for him to develop his game, it hurts even more that players who were taken after him in the 2023 NBA Draft, like Jaime Jaquez Jr., Brandin Podziemski and Cam Whitmore, to name a few, are thriving. 

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