We got at least some kind of update today on the status of Los Angeles Lakers rookie shooting guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, who has yet to make his regular season NBA debut due to a right patella contusion.
Per Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the former Indiana swingman, selected with the No. 17 pick in this summer's draft, is mounting his comeback to the court, defined as "a return-to-play progression."
What this means practically is a bit unclear to me in terms of establishing an actual time table, but it's a nice sentiment nevertheless.
During his lone year at Indiana, the 6'6" wing averaged 13.5 points on .417/.333/.776 shooting splits, 4.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 0.8 steals. For his efforts, he was named a Big Ten All-Freshman, All-Big Ten pick and Big Ten Rookie of the Year.
LA could use some defensive help on the perimeter, especially given the absence of Gabe Vincent for at least the next two weeks. Hood-Schifino is a raw prospect, and would probably have been buried on Darvin Ham's depth chart for a while anyway, but the longer this season wears on, the likelier it would have been that rotational time could have presented itself. With him sidelined early, it's going to be that much harder for him to crack the club's actual lineup this year.
But hopefully he'll still get some significant run with the South Bay Lakers whenever he does return.
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