When the Los Angeles Lakers signed guard Scotty Pippen Jr. last summer as an undrafted free agent, it resulted in some intrigue and even a bit of excitement among fans.
After all, he is the son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, a six-time NBA champion and one of the greatest defensive players in league history, not to mention an outstanding open-court performer.
The younger Pippen is a project player, unlike his father, who quickly displayed his potential upon entering the pros. But he has shown some growth since last summer when he received his first taste of the pro ranks during summer league play.
Pippen's regular season NBA stats (six games, 5.3 minutes a game)
2.3 points
0.7 rebounds
0.3 assists
0.3 steals
33.3% field-goal shooting
33.3% 3-point shooting
55.6% free-throw shooting
Pippen's regular season G League stats
21.4 points
4.1 rebounds
5.6 assists
1.6 steals
46.9% field-goal shooting
30% 3-point shooting
77.1% free-throw shooting
Takeaways
During summer league play, the younger Pippen was turnover-prone, a poor outside shooter and a questionable passer and facilitator. Spending almost all of his time with the South Bay Lakers this season, perhaps he has just started to tap into his potential.
He is still a poor outside shooter, but he has shown growth in terms of his passing and ball security. However, he is a scorer first and foremost, and he loves to attack the paint off the dribble.
The former Vanderbilt University player has shown an ability to draw fouls and get to the free-throw line; he averaged 5.1 foul shots a game in the G League. While he’s a decent free-throw shooter, he will want to improve in that department to increase his value.
One concern is the fact that he lacks an elite first step or burst of quickness off the dribble to gain that initial separation from the man guarding him. It’s something he will need to compensate for at the NBA level.
At the same time, he has shown a couple of counter moves he has pulled out when a defender prevented him from getting off an initial shot attempt.
The younger Pippen has also displayed some potential as a disruptive defender who can come up with steals and deflections.
Final grade: C-plus/B-minus
