The Scouting department messed up, and the Lakers' biggest mistake in the summer affected

Following the loss to the Golden State Warriors, it has been made evident one more time that the team will continue to struggle with different players being injured and ups and downs for the rest of the 25 games left in the regular season.

One of the biggest complaints the Lakers Nation has to the front office is that now that multiple players are out because of injuries, the rookie the team drafted, Jalen Hood-Schifino hasn't been used and is nowhere close to the level on some of the prospects LA passed on.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Cam Whitmore are two rookies who have been helping their respective teams, and this Thursday night in the loss to the Warriors it was made evident that even the Golden State rookie Brandin Podziemski has been doing better than Hood-Schifino.

LA had the No. 17 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and by selecting Jalen, they passed on players like 18. Heat draft Jaime Jaquez Jr., 19. Warriors draft Brandin Podziemski and 20. Rockets draft Cam Whitmore.

Why the selection of Jalen Hood-Schifino isn't working

Instead of going for a rookie that would be helping the team now to win the NBA title, they selected a player with a "promising future" but that isn't going to be ready any time soon to make a difference like other selections could've been for LA.