NBA Comparison: Malcolm Brogdon

Strengths: Hood-Schifino is a strong-bodied combo guard who stands 6’6 215 with good length (6’10 wingspan) … Mature build; is tailor-made for physical play on both ends of the court … Fits well in slower paced, half-court offense; is most comfortable handling the ball, being calculating and taking his time to find his favorite spots on the floor to score or find open teammates … High skill level and creativity with the ability to make ambidextrous passes and finishes near the rim and in the intermediate areas … Manipulates the defense with his eyes and whizzes passes to open players on the move … Excellent in the pick and roll and dribble handoff game; formed a prolific duo with Trayce Jackson-Davis in ‘22-23  … Unselfish and has solid floor vision, with a good feel for making passing lanes by tilting the defense one way creating openings for shooters or dump-offs to his bigs (3.7 APG) … Among the best mid-range pull-up scorers in college hoops this past season, and really hurts defenses the most with the ball in the 15-18 ft area (13.5 PPG) … A downhill slasher who uses his size/strength advantages at the point of attack to get smaller guards on his hip, but also has the hesitation dribbles to freeze help defenders and get good looks for himself and teammates … Very even-keeled; plays at his own pace and rarely ever seems rushed … Adequate handle and burst to exploit mismatches when bigs switch onto him … Competitive player who will take on tough defensive matchups and has the ability to ‘guard up’ on the perimeter, doesn’t just defend his position … Very good defensive potential on the perimeter and has the strength and toughness to develop into a major factor at the point of attack and fighting through screens … Uses his physical tools and solid footwork to wall off penetration well…Chips in on the glass (4.1 RPG) … Decent from the FT line when he gets there (77.6 FT%)  …

Weaknesses: Lacks athleticism by NBA standards … Below the rim player that is more subtle than sudden … Not particularly quick or speedy … Doesn’t have great projections as a transition player … Only sporadically gets all the way to the rim against set defense … Low efficiency as a finisher speaks to his struggles when looking to convert amongst the trees (45 FG% inside the arc) … His patience with the ball can straddle with being too deliberate at times, making it easier for the defense to anticipate what he wants to do next as a passer and slasher (2.8 TOPG, 1.3:1 A:TO) … Not necessarily a natural PG; played enhanced minutes there due to injury and is still developing some decision-making & ball-handling nuance, particularly against athletic help defense that can crowd him and wont dive underneath screens often … 3-point shooting is a work in progress (33 3FG% as a Fr.), though he did show flashes as the season went along off the dribble and has the touch to continue to get better … Would greatly benefit as an off-ball player from at least being able to adequately hit spot-up shots from distance; his offensive profile would be really nicely rounded out with the threat of a deep ball … Doesn’t draw contact as much as he should given his size (only 2.4 FTA/G), can fall in love with the mid-range too much and bail out defenders at times … Has quick hands but didn’t force many turnovers in college (0.8 SPG), and is better defending on the ball than off at the moment …

Overall: Jalen Hood-Schifino is a prospect who established himself as a consensus 5-star recruit during his Jr and Sr seasons at national powerhouse Montverde Academy, where he won 2 HS national titles and played in the Jordan Brand Classic … He joined Indiana as their highest rated signee since 2018 and was largely seen as the preseason favorite to be the Big 10 Freshman of the Year (which he did win at the end of the season) and largely lived up to the hype, helping lead Indiana to a Round of 32 finish…He started the season sharing ball-handling responsibilities but became the teams main ball-handler after an injury to their upperclassman starting PG Xavier Johnson, ultimately forming a blossoming connection and dynamic duo with All-American and fellow 2023 Draft prospect Trayce Jackson-Davis that was among the strongest 1-2 punches in the NCAA this past season…He also had some big moments this season, particularly his memorable 35-point, 6 3-pointer outburst in a win @ then-1st ranked Purdue in late February … Hood-Schifino’s pick and roll prowess with Jackson-Davis offered nice glimpses of his potential NBA role as a strong-bodied 6’6 slasher who used the threat of his big to torch teams in the mid-range area with his picture-esque pull-up J and instinctive passing ability on the move … He also was well-equipped to handle defensive responsibilities in the physical Big 10 as a Fr. and had some outstanding moments as an on-ball defender that project well to the pros … His lack athleticism does to a degree lower his upside, and he will need to continue to improve his shooting range, particularly with his feet set, to round out his offensive game and realize his potential versatility to play multiples spots along the perimeter offensively and not always have to operate with the ball in his hands, even though that’s when he’s clearly at his best … Still, Hood-Schifino’s game is really promising, as is his competitive nature, and he has a ton of traits & skills that translate well to NBA basketball today as a PG/SG … Look for him to be selected in the 1st round of the 2023 Draft, with a pretty good chance to be snagged in the lottery …

Notes: Measured 6′ 4.25” barefoot, 8′ 4.50” standing reach, 216.6 lbs and a 6′ 10.25” wingspan at the 2023 NBA Draft Combine …

Jorrye Nixon 5/24/23