Indiana's Jalen Hood-Schifino Declares for NBA Draft; Ranked No. 19 on B/R Big Board
Indiana guard Jalen Hood-Schifino announced Friday he has declared for the 2023 NBA draft, per ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Adrian Wojnarowski.
"For me, the time is now," Hood-Schifino said. "This has been a dream of mine since I was a little boy."
He provided a full breakdown of his decision on Instagram:
The freshman is considered a potential first-round draft pick and is rated No. 19 overall in the latest big board by Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman.
The Montverde Academy product entered the year with high expectations as a 5-star recruit, rated No. 23 overall by 247Sports' composite rankings. He came through with an impressive season, averaging 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
Hood-Schifino stepped up in big moments this year, notably scoring 35 points on 14-of-24 shooting in a road upset against Purdue. He also scored 33 in a loss to Northwestern.
Consistency was still an issue for the 6'5" guard, who was held to single digits in 10 of 32 games this season. He shot just 12-of-33 (36.4 percent) from the field across two NCAA tournament games, including 3-of-13 from three-point range.
"Some of Hood-Schifino's weaknesses were exposed in the NCAA tournament, from his athleticism to his shot selection and decision-making," Wasserman wrote.
The outside shooting was especially an issue down the stretch, shooting 19.6 percent from deep in his last 14 games.
The young playmaker still has plenty of potential at the next level thanks to his size, athleticism and ability to create shots for himself.
Indiana, meanwhile, could struggle to replace both Hood-Schifino and All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis. Malik Reneau should see a bigger role in 2023-24, while incoming freshman Gabe Cupps will likely see significant minutes early in his college career.
