Los Angeles Lakers rookie guard Jalen Hood-Schifino underwent a successful lumbar microdiscectomy procedure on Thursday, the team announced.
A lumbar microdiscectomy is described as a minimally invasive surgery to fix a bulging disc, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. The team didn’t give a timetable for his return but indicated further updates would be provided as appropriate.
Hood-Schifino will miss the remainder of the season following the procedure, with a typical recovery time of 2-3 months. The team expects him to make a full recovery in the offseason, putting his status for summer league in question.
Jalen Hood-Schifino underwent a successful lumbar microdiscectomy procedure today. Further updates will be provided as appropriate.
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 21, 2024
Hood-Schifino logged 21 appearances with the Lakers this season, playing mostly mop-up duty. He spent the majority of the season in the G League with the South Bay Lakers, averaging 22 points, 5.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds on 43.2% shooting from 3-point range in 15 games.
The 20-year-old failed to crack the rotation for the Lakers, with several veteran players ahead of him on the depth chart. However, the team has been encouraged by his development and was impressed with him from the start of training camp.
The Lakers selected Hood-Schifino with the 17th pick last year out of Indiana. He was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year after averaging 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 32 games.
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