Jalen Hood-Schifino being taken 17th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft is one of the more notable draft misses the Los Angeles Lakers have suffered. It is a particularly bad hit given how much draft capital Rob Pelinka has been forced to part with in hopes of pursuing a championship.
When the latter is the case, one would hope the scouting departments are working overtime to really nail the picks that the franchise still has. Selecting Hood-Schifino is not an indicator of that by any means.
The Lakers gave away Hood-Schifino last season, sending him to the Utah Jazz, in the beloved trade that brought Luka Doncic to Los Angeles. What was his role in that deal? An exciting young prospect that helped sweeten the pot? Nope, quite the opposite, actually. Hood-Schifino was a cap casualty.
The former first-round pick was promptly waived by the Jazz after his acquisition, a very telling statement considering the lack of immediacy involving Utah's plans to compete. The 17th overall pick in 2023 has not amounted to much in the NBA thus far. The same cannot be said of the player who came right after him.
Lakers wish they could have a do-over with Jaime Jaquez Jr.
After the Lakers selected their man at 17, the Miami Heat stepped up to the plate with the following choice and grabbed a real contributor. The Heat drafted Jaime Jaquez Jr. with the 18th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Jaquez immediately made his mark in his rookie season. The Heat forward averaged 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.0 steal in 28.2 minutes per game. That early success had Jaquez competing for Rookie of the Year, finishing fourth in the race among his peers.
After a bit of a sophomore slump, the 24-year-old has reemerged with a vengeance during his third season. The former UCLA Bruin has enjoyed the early makings of a breakout season in 2025-26.
Jaquez is averaging career highs in the following noteworthy categories: points per game (17.5), rebounds per game (7.5), assists per game (5.2), field goal percentage (57.5), free throw percentage (81.4), player efficiency rating (20.2), true shooting percentage (63.1), win shares per 48 (.181), and box plus/minus (3.9).
That should paint a very clear picture. Jaquez is thriving, and he's doing all of this off the bench for the Heat.
The Lakers have struggled to find consistent production from their second unit in recent years. Having Jaquez in the mix could have changed that. Alas, spilled milk and what not.