The Western Conference runner-up Los Angeles Lakers' Summer League concluded after two weeks of play between their time in Sacramento and Los Vegas. They played seven games in total, which gave the Lakers an extensive look at their promising draft picks and two-way players. While Max Christie was the belle of the ball, rookie guard Jalen Hood-Schifino was probably the Laker under the biggest microscope.

He's the Lakers' highest draft pick since they selected Lonzo Ball back in 2017. He was good enough to go in the lottery, but slipped outside of it with such a loaded class. Hood-Schifino largely played well, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement. Let's recap how he played in his first Summer League go round.

Shooting Could Improve

The biggest knock on Jalen Hood-Schifino coming out of Indiana was his shooting. Though Hood-Schifino has great touch in the floater area and was a solid free throw shooter in Bloomington last season (77.6%), his range doesn't quite extend to three at this stage of his career. He shot 33.3% from three last season; a solid number but also a number defenses are ok living with. He was below that number on catch-and-shoot threes at Indiana, where he shot 31.3% on such shots.

That inconsistency from deep showed up during Summer League. Hood-Schifino shot 0-9 from deep in his two games in Sacramento. In total, he shot 5-23 from deep (21.7%) in six games. That's simply not going to cut it. He had some pretty bad misses on catch-and-shoot looks. Much like his time at Indiana, he looked more comfortable firing from deep off the bounce.

The bright side is Hood-Schifino showed flashes of his touch inside the arc. Though he shot 21.7% from 3, he looked a bit more comfortable rising up for midrange jumpers and floaters.

Pick and Roll Craft

Seeing how frequently and capable Hood-Schifino was able to get to the rim was the most pleasant takeaway from his Summer League performance. It wasn't the best skill he showcased, but was maybe the most suppressed skill that wasn't always evident at Indiana with their lack of proper spacing around him and Trayce Jackson-Davis.

Summer League isn't be the best approximation of NBA spacing, but it's better than what he had at Indiana, and that allowed him to use his 6-5 215 pound frame to his advantage.

What stood out the most with Hood-Schifino though was his craft, pace, and overall floor game. He rarely got sped up. You could tell he knew what he wanted to and how to do it with how the defense was playing him. He was able to make enough midrange shots/floaters against drop coverage to make defenses pay.

When help defenders keyed in on him, he sprayed passes to shooters behind the arc and bended the defense. He showed good polish handling in pick-and-roll by changing speeds, snaking screens, or keeping defenders on his back to maintain his advantage or give himself a better one.

Defensively, Hood-Schifino was solid as well. There were a few teams when quicker guards were able to skirt by him, but he largely was solid in his screen navigation, moved his feet well enough, and defended multiple positions.

Hood-Schifino's steps forward

Summer League is largely a time for exploration. Players try to adjust to the speed of the NBA game and see how their strengths can translate to the NBA. Teams and fans get more acclimated with each of these players' skill sets if they weren't already during their time in college.

Jalen Hood-Schifino's shooting percentages weren't awesome during Summer League, but his first go-round was largely a success. His pick-and-roll polish, poise and craft immediately translated to being able to create great looks for both himself and his teammates. All in all, Hood-Schifino had a terrific Summer League. He has a lot to like with his game. His outlook is very bright.

But there is also room for improvement. His craft and playmaking won't matter as much if teams don't respect him as a shooter. He showed enough touch at Indiana and during Summer League to leave me to believe that he can and will continue to extend his range and become more comfortable as a shooter in the NBA to round out his game.

The Lakers' development staff is among the best in the NBA. But if there's an area in his game Summer League showed that could use some improvement, that would be it.