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The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off a solid season making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals. No one saw them go that deep after barely making it to the Play-In tournament zone.
The Lakers made significant changes to their roster during the 2022-23 season and they had two picks at the 2023 NBA Draft. Let’s take a look at the Lakers selections.
#17 Jalen Hood-Schifino
Position: Guard
Age: 20
Height: 6-5 (195cm)
Weight: 217 (93kg)
College: University of Indiana
Country: USA
Hood-Schifino looks like a NBA ready player and this may end up like a steal in the draft for the Lakers. He is a 6-5 combo guard who can play both outside positions. Mainly, he played point guard for Indiana where he averaged 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 32 starts fin his sole season with the Hoosiers. The highlight of his season was the 35-point performance against the local rivals, Purdue Boilermakers.
Hood-Schifino’s strengths include great length and a smooth offensive game with the ball. He is one of the most physically gifted players in the 2023 NBA Draft and he may get a chance to play right away for the Lakers. Hood-Schifino can play the pick-and-roll while getting to the rim or setting up open looks for teammates. Hood-Schifino is a confident ball-handler that makes great decisions, and he has all the tools to become a legitimate NBA player. He is confident off-the-dribble shot-maker and live-dribble passer which will suit up great with the Lakers up-tempo basketball.
One thing that Hood-Schifino will need to work on is his shooting percentage. Having a three-point range is a must for every guard in the league especially on the Lakers, since the team has been struggling from deep during the last couple of seasons. He shot only 33.3% from the three-point line at Indiana and that number needs to go high which may not come easy given the difference in the NBA three-point distance.
#47 Mojave King
Position: Guard
Age: 21
Height: 6-5 (195cm)
Weight: 195 (88kg)
Team: NBA G League Ignite
Country: New Zealand
Mojave King is New Zealand native and he is a product of the NBA Global Academy. He spent two seasons playing in the Australian NBL league for the Cairns Taipans, Adelaide 36ers and Southland Sharks becoming a pro at the age of 17. Being one of the youngest players in the league, King saw limited playing time but the showed his potential when he was on the court.
Being an NBA prospect, Kind decided to move to the G League and he signed with the Ignite team. He started 8 of 30 games for the team last season averaging 8.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
King possesses solid length, explosiveness, and sense for the game. He has an effortless stroke and quick release which will help him adapt to the NBA game. He understands spacing and knows how to get open which would benefit him in his rookie season. King needs to add some muscle to his relatively skin body frame before becoming a regular rotation player for the Lakers.
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