The 2024 offseason has been a polarizing experience for the Los Angeles Lakers. There have been undeniable signs of growth, including the prioritization of the NBA Draft, but inactivity and the injury bug have become the talk of the town.
The latter development has taken center stage with training camp approaching after Christian Wood underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on September 9—and the hits keep coming.
Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum Sportsnet reports that Jarred Vanderbilt may not be ready for training camp due to lingering issues with his injured foot. Dave McMenamin of ESPN has since corroborated the report.
After a 2023-24 season in which Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, and Wood played a combined 90 games, it's become an all too familiar scene in Los Angeles for key role players to face injuries.
The silver lining, however, is that the door has opened for the Lakers' younger players to make a name for themselves. While Darvin Ham favored his veterans in 2023-24, JJ Redick has made it clear that he's ready to go all-in on a youth movement around Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
An argument can be made that no player stands to benefit more from this development than second-year player Jalen Hood-Schifino.
Jalen Hood-Schifino will finally have a chance to earn playing time
When completely healthy, the Lakers' second unit projects to consist of Vincent, Max Christie, Dalton Knecht, Vanderbilt, and Wood. Removing any one of those five players creates a potential void, all but regardless of the position at which it exists.
That bodes well for Hood-Schifino, who has otherwise appeared to be on the outside looking in despite being the Lakers' 2023 first-round draft pick.
Hood-Schifino, who's still just 21 years of age, appeared in just 21 games for the Lakers in 2023-24. He averaged 5.2 minutes per game during that time, with his current career-high of 10 points coming in less than 11 minutes of action—and within three games, he was rendered inactive.
Redick projects to take a different approach to player development than Ham, however, and that makes Hood-Schifino's G League success a bit more relevant.
Hood-Schifino played 15 games with the G League affiliate South Bay Lakers. During that time, he averaged 22.0 points, 5.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.3 three-point field goals made per game while posting a slash line of .473/.432/.800.
Despite looking the part of an elite three-point shooter in the G League, Hood-Schifino never received a fair chance to help the NBA Lakers—which ranked No. 24 in threes made.
Beyond his offense, Hood-Schifino has the physical attribues to become a high-level and versatile defender. Standing at 6'5" and 215 pounds with a 6'10.25" wingspan and intriguing athleticism, he could defend multiple positions with consistently positive degrees of success.
With two-way upside and scarce opportunities to prove it in the NBA, the Lakers' recent injury woes may be the blessing in disguise that Hood-Schifino has needed to break out.