Lakers First-Round Pick Undergoes Successful Back Surgery

Last week, the Los Angeles Lakers first-round pick Jalen Hood-Schifino underwent successful back surgery, via ESPN's Dave McMenamin. Hood-Schifino had a lumbar microdiscectomy to fix a bulging disc in his back, and is expected to fully recover during the offseason.

The Lakers first-round rookie has had a slow start to his NBA career, and has been spending time with the G-League South Bay Lakers before his injury. In the G-League, Hood-Schifino has averaged 22 points and 5.5 assists per game. He's gotten a chance to shine and develop for the South Bay Lakers while showing off his scoring ability.

In 21 appearances in NBA games, the 20-year-old guard averaged 1.6 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game in an average of 5.2 minutes of play.

Hood-Schifino opted to enter the NBA Draft after just one year of college, where he was the seventeenth overall pick. He starred for the Indiana Hoosiers in his freshman season, winning the Big Ten Freshman of the Year as he averaged 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.

This is just another one of the many injuries the Lakers have dealt with this season. LeBron James has dealt with a nagging ankle injury, Anthony Davis missed Wednesday's game with a knee injury, Gabe Vincent is expected to finally return to the court after being out since December, and Jarred Vanderbilt is hoping to come back for the Lakers by the play-in tournament.