Indiana freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, a projected lottery decide, will forgo his remaining faculty eligibility and enter the 2023 NBA draft, he instructed ESPN on Friday morning.
“For me, the time is now,” Hood-Schifino instructed ESPN. “This has been a dream of mine since I used to be a little bit boy.”
Hood-Schifino, the No. 13 prospect in ESPN’s NBA draft projections, was voted the Massive Ten Convention freshman of 12 months and second-team All-Massive Ten after averaging 13.5 factors, 4.1 rebounds and three.7 assists.
“My freshman season was nothing in need of superb,” stated Hood-Schifino, who’s 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan. “My coaches stored their phrase by having the final word belief in me as a freshman. We did not win a nationwide championship, however total the season was profitable and experiencing March Insanity was a surreal second.”
Though he wasn’t initially projected as a clear-cut one and executed participant, Hood-Schifino emerged as a possible top-10 decide based mostly largely on his productiveness and impression on the Hoosiers’ profitable.
In mid-December, Hood-Schifino was requested to step into an outsized position upon the workforce shedding place to begin guard Xavier Johnson to a season-ending damage. After a turbulent begin, Hood-Schifino grabbed maintain of the purpose guard place and helped catapult Indiana to victories in 11 of their closing 15 regular-season video games, securing third within the Massive Ten and a No. 4 seed within the NCAA match.
“NBA groups have been capable of see that I can take over a recreation, create my very own shot, run a workforce, that I’ve a excessive IQ, that I am powerful, and that I’ve a singular tempo to my recreation,” Hood-Schifino stated. “I am trying ahead to exhibiting the NBA groups my physique measurements matching what’s on paper, my athleticism, and my taking pictures capability.”
Hood-Schifino suits the NBA prototype as an enormous, ballhandling lead guard with versatile shot-making prowess, live-dribble playmaking creativity and defensive toughness..
The NBA draft mix is about for Could 15-21 in Chicago, and the draft shall be June 22 in New York.
Jonathan Givony is an NBA Draft professional and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a non-public scouting and analytics service utilized by NBA, NCAA and Worldwide groups.