Jalen Hood-Schifino scores 20 points in G League debut with South Bay Lakers

In his first appearance with the South Bay Lakers in the G League this season, Jalen Hood-Schifino had a strong showing with 20 points and seven assists.

After missing the start of the season due to injury, Jalen Hood-Schifino has found playing time hard to come by. And the moments he’s gotten in recent weeks have looked expectedly rough.

Perhaps a by-product of signing Skylar Mays to a two-way deal on Monday, the Lakers assigned Jalen Hood-Schifino to the South Bay Lakers where he made his G League debut on Monday against the Ontario Clippers.

JHS started and scored 20 points with seven assists in 31 minutes of action, helping the Lakers to a 120-115 victory.

With both Alex Fudge and D’Moi Hodge as recent releases, Hood-Schifino started in the contest. While he did have four turnovers and four fouls, he shot 4-9 from the field, 1-2 from the 3-point line and connected on 7-8 free throws.

Fellow draftee Maxwell Lewis also started in the game, finishing with 10 points on 2-8 shooting with seven rebounds, but six turnovers and four fouls. The lone Lakers two-way signing that played, Colin Castleton, had a big game with 20 points and 16 rebounds to go along with three blocked shots.

Dylan Windler was inactive for the game after only recently signing as a two-way player while Mays was not listed on the roster, presumably with his signing not being made official in time. Shaquille Harrison, who was on the end of the bench for the Lakers last season, had 20 points, five assists and three steals on 8-10 shooting off the bench for South Bay.

One of the added benefits of the Lakers being home more in the coming month is that they can send JHS and Lewis down to South Bay to play games without losing their availability for NBA games as well. Both players were recalled by the Lakers on Tuesday afternoon, presumably allowing them to be active for the game against the Raptors.

Unfortunately, South Bay will be heading out on a road trip in the coming weeks, likely ruling out the chance of JHS and Lewis to see more playing time there. But allowing both, and more specifically Hood-Schifino, the chance to get some run should be something the team looks to do as much as possible during their current homestand.

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