Jalen Hood-Schifino and the Los Angeles Lakers opened their Summer League play in Las Vegas with a 103-96 win over the Golden State Warriors.

As was the case at the California Classic, Max Christie (22 points, 7 rebounds) was the Lakers' alpha. He's bulkier by the day and his three-level-playmaking bag is rapidly deepening. He even earned “M-V-P” chants, which he joked made him feel “like Austin (Reaves).”

Christie's goal is to begin the regular season in Darvin Ham's rotation. He's making a strong case.

The most pertinent object of curiosity surrounding the Summer League Lakers, however, is Hood-Schifino — the 20-year-old out of Indiana whom the Lakers selected with the no. 17 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Hood-Schifino mostly impressed in Sacramento. Over two games, he scored 35 points on rickety 14-for-38 shooting. His sense of pace, pick-and-roll stewardship, and ability to create for himself and others as a 6'6, 215-pound point guard was encouraging (he keeps a low center of gravity). Most of his buckets came via tough takes through traffic or at the line.

On Friday, both his box score — 9 points (3-for-11 shooting), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals — and floor-game display were recognizable. Here are a few takeaways from Hood-Schifino's Vegas premiere.

Feel + Physicality

I'm merging two subsections because their amalgamation within JHS's game may be why the Lakers appraised him as a “lottery-level talent.”

Hood-Schifinio can dictate the speed of any given sequence — in halfcourt or transition. He can also put his head down, push people around, and win space. He smoothly combines finesse, guile, and patience with IQ, passing, and size.

Against the Dubs, JHS got going with a hard cut through the lane, which resulted in a contested catch and free throws. Soon after, he set up a dish to Colin Castleton on a PnR (they're developing a nice two-man game) before instead swinging the ball to Cole Swider for 3. Off an ensuing turnover, Hood-Schifino calmly let the defense blow by until D'Moi Hodge was available for a rhythmic look from downtown. At other points: He lasered a no-look cross-court dime to Hodge in the corner, deployed a stutter-step to create a behind-the-back bounce to Sasha Kileya-Jones (free throws), and inverted a numbers disadvantage by crossing left at midcourt and using hesitation to create a quality 1-of-2 layup.

Like a (good) quarterback, Hood-Schifino appears to have eyes on everybody — where they're headed and at what tempo. There's no doubt he's a point guard, and he's already one of the largest in the NBA.

Shooting

Hood-Schifino shot 33.3% from 3 in college. He was 0-for-9 in two games at the Golden 1 Center. He missed his lone try at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Hood-Schifino generally struggled to put the ball in the basket on Friday, from anywhere. He missed an easy free-throw line J early in the third. In the fourth quarter, he badly missed three floaters — his bread-and-butter — a step-back 3, and a lefty layup akin to ones he's made earlier in the week.

Hood-Schifino thrives as a lead playmaker. The Lakers ultimately envision him in that type of role. Inevitably, though, whether he can knock down shots and be effective off-ball will heavily influence his role as a rookie. Hood-Schifino's development in the shooting department — especially from 3 — will be compelling to monitor.