Tag: Scotty Pippen Jr.

LeBron James believes in Scotty Pippen Jr.’s potential

LeBron James seems to think Scotty Pippen Jr. has a serious future as an NBA prospect.

During the NBA Summer League this month, the Los Angeles Lakers had some interesting prospects who may have a real future in the big leagues.

There was sharpshooter Cole Swider, who seems to always hit from 3-point range no matter how closely he’s being covered by a defender, second-round draft pick Max Christie and big man Jay Huff.

Guard Scotty Pippen Jr., the son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, had his ups and downs, but he exhibited some ability to attack the basket, hit the open man, defend and get to the free throw line.

LeBron James feels he has some serious potential.

Via Lakers Daily:

“Among the new players that the franchise has brought in, Scotty Pippen Jr. is believed in by Lakers superstar LeBron James.”

The younger Pippen certainly has lots of work to do, especially when it comes to his outside shooting and limiting turnovers, but he certainly has something to build on.

[mm-video type=video id=01g7zhc79kbm2a5h1cmq playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g7zhc79kbm2a5h1cmq/01g7zhc79kbm2a5h1cmq-9e4141279c2bad813e89b4ccf3177ea6.jpg]

[listicle id=83757]

LeBron James gives Scotty Pippen Jr. praise after summer league

Pippen had a strong showing in summer league, and earned a bit of praise from LeBron James in the process.

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Scotty Pippen Jr. turned in a strong showing in summer league, and earned a bit of praise from teammate LeBron James in the process.

Pippen, the son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, averaged 11.6 points, 4.8 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 steals in eight games between the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League. He scored in double figures six times and had his best game on July 8 with 19 points.

The Lakers signed Pippen to a two-way contract on July 1 after going undrafted out of Vanderbilt. He emerged as a strong scorer in three years in college, averaging at least 20 points in each of his last two seasons.

He was the first SEC player since 1996 to accomplish that feat.

Pippen will split his time next season between L.A. and the South Bay Lakers in the NBA G League as part of his two-way contract. He will likely need that time to develop but could give the team a nice scoring punch off the bench in the future.

James certainly likes what he has seen from him so far.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

[lawrence-related id=49511,72823,72808]

[mm-video type=video id=01g695ah2atrv826322v playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g695ah2atrv826322v/01g695ah2atrv826322v-270c81b43465c908e8bc8bb3d1c7e735.jpg]

[listicle id=78984]

 

Summer League player grades: Scotty Pippen Jr.

Our analysis of Scotty Pippen Jr.’s performance in this year’s NBA Summer League for the Lakers.

The 2022 NBA Summer League is now in the books for the Los Angeles Lakers, and they had a few players who showed at least some potential to make it to the big league and spend some significant time there.

One of those players is Scotty Pippen Jr., a 6-foot-3, 180-pound guard who is an undrafted rookie out of Vanderbilt University.

He is the son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, who won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls and was one of the most versatile players ever, not to mention one of the greatest defenders in league history.

Here is a summary of what the younger Pippen showed in the summer league over the past couple of weeks.

Summer League: Scotty Pippen Jr. showed improvement on Sunday

Scotty Pippen Jr. showed glimpses of potential in one key area versus the Charlotte Hornets.

In his first several NBA Summer League games, Los Angeles Lakers undrafted rookie Scotty Pippen Jr. was a mixed bag.

He was turnover-prone while struggling to consistently make plays for his teammates and hit from the outside, although at times he looked adept at attacking the basket and finishing.

A couple of those issues were still evident on Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets, but at the same time, he showed improvement in his ability to make plays for others and hit the open man.

Pippen finished just 4-of-15 from the field and 0-of-3 from 3-point land, but he had seven assists against five turnovers.

He started the game by running a pick-and-roll with Sacha Killeya-Jones, then finding him for an alley-oop dunk.

In the first quarter, he made a nice read in transition off a steal, immediately finding Shareef O’Neal for a breakaway jam.

Pippen also continued to show nice defensive instincts and quick hands by registering three steals. He turned one of those steals into a nice lead pass to Mason Jones for a fastbreak layup.

Pippen also made some nice reads in the halfcourt, as he found Cole Swider for an open 3-pointer in the third quarter.

Earlier, there was this assist off dribble penetration that led to an open dunk.

Consistency in terms of playmaking while limiting turnovers will be a huge key for Pippen when it comes to his chances of making a big-league roster, as will hitting enough 3-pointers to keep defenses honest so he can penetrate and attack.

[mm-video type=video id=01g64cjv6fbxv6e99tr6 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g64cjv6fbxv6e99tr6/01g64cjv6fbxv6e99tr6-1e778d3a4a422d5dca37f724ca1ac2a8.jpg]

[listicle id=83757]

Scotty Pippen Jr. has been a mixed bag so far in Summer League

Scotty Pippen Jr., the son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, has some flaws, but what he’s shown in Summer League hasn’t been all bad.

When the Los Angeles Lakers signed guard Scotty Pippen Jr. as an undrafted rookie free agent last month, some fans hoped he would turn into a diamond in the rough.

After all, he is the son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, a do-everything 6-foot-8 forward who was one of the greatest defensive players ever and a six-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls.

So far in the NBA Summer League, the younger Pippen hasn’t stood out a ton, but he has shown a glimpse of potential in certain areas of his game.

After Friday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns, it’s clear Pippen needs a lot of work, but he may have an outside shot at someday making a big-league roster.

Lakers sign rookies Pippen, Swider to two-way contracts

The Lakers have signed Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cole Swider to two-way contracts ahead of summer league.

The Los Angeles Lakers on Friday announced that they signed Vanderbilt guard Scotty Pippen Jr. and Syracuse forward Cole Swider to two-way contracts.

The two players each went undrafted this year.

Pippen, who was named to the All-SEC first team, averaged 20.4 points, 4.5 assists and 3.6 rebounds in 36 games as a junior last season. He led the conference in scoring and was the first SEC player to average 20 points in back-to-back seasons since 1996.

Swider posted averages of 13.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and one steal as a senior. He shot 41.1% from 3-point range on six attempts per game and ranked eighth in the ACC with 81 makes.

[mm-video type=video id=01g6az407vtap12gv711 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g6az407vtap12gv711/01g6az407vtap12gv711-98a4430fef1ff7e67f353f703119aeca.jpg]

Pippen and Swider will each split their time between L.A. and the South Bay Lakers in the NBA G League. They are eligible to spend no more than 50 games in the NBA and will earn a flat salary equal to 50% of the minimum salary applicable to a player with zero years of service.

They are each expected to be with the Lakers during the California Classic in San Francisco and Las Vegas Summer League beginning on July 8.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

[lawrence-related id=48934,72823,72808]

[listicle id=78041]

Lakers sign Scotty Pippen Jr. of Vanderbilt to two-way contract

The son of NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen is now a member of the Lakers.

After taking Michigan State University guard Max Christie with the 35th pick in Thursday’s NBA draft, the Los Angeles Lakers turned their attention to the undrafted rookie free agent market.

One of the undrafted rookies they signed was Scotty Pippen Jr., a guard out of Vanderbilt University.

He is the son of Scottie Pippen, who is an NBA Hall of Famer and was one of the league’s best and most versatile players in the 1990s.

The elder Pippen teamed up with Michael Jordan to help the Chicago Bulls win six championships in eight years. He then moved on to the Portland Trail Blazers in 1999 and became a thorn in the Lakers’ side.

The younger Pippen isn’t quite the same type of athletic specimen his father was, but he has some qualities that give him some potential moving forward.

Report: All-American Kofi Cockburn invited to NBA draft combine

The Illinois center is among the prospects to earn an invitation to the NBA draft combine.

Former Illinois center Kofi Cockburn has reportedly earned an invitation to participate in the NBA draft combine, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Cockburn, who was a consensus All-American, averaged 20.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and one blocked shot in 28 games. He was the only Division I player to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, and was also the only player to rank in the top 20 in each category.

The 7-footer tested the pre-draft process in 2020 and 2021 but opted to return to school last season. He was one of the top centers in the country and led the Fighting Illini to a 23-10 record and a share of the Big Ten regular-season title.

The combine will run May 16-22 in Chicago, Illinois, and feature representatives from all 30 teams. Teams each year submit a list of the players they would like to see invited, typically those with the highest odds of getting drafted.

The event will feature 5-on-5 games, strength and agility testing, shooting drills, measurements and other related on-court exercises. Prospects will have the opportunity to improve their draft stock in a competitive environment against their peers.

The NBA draft will take place on June 23.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

[lawrence-related id=75561,75554,75505]

[mm-video type=video id=01g2mjqh1gf9xvjdt51g playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g2mjqh1gf9xvjdt51g/01g2mjqh1gf9xvjdt51g-3a0a87a40fab63bd7b20e6f115544212.jpg]

[listicle id=74651]

2022 NBA Draft Big Board 1.0: Debut rankings of the top 101 prospects

Let’s be honest. Ranking the best NBA draft prospects is a fool’s errand. But evaluating this class is an especially challenging assignment.

Let’s be honest. Ranking the best NBA draft prospects is a fool’s errand. But evaluating this class is an especially challenging assignment.

One of the top pre-season prospects (Patrick Baldwin Jr.) is playing for a mid-major program that has just two wins so far this season. Other top prospects (AJ Griffin and Peyton Watson) are not getting much playing time for their high-major programs. Meanwhile, guard Jean Montero is playing in the inaugural Overtime Elite league. How do we compare his productivity to other prospects? I’m frankly not sure.

But nevertheless, my big board exists. Rather than going small, I decided to blow it up and do the opposite. Why did I go ahead and rank 101 prospects if this class has been so challenging to evaluate? There are two distinct reasons.

One is that I’m absolutely crazy and get a very fulfilling satisfaction with the completion of a mock draft and big board because it feels complete. It looks awesome seeing as many names as I can fit on one article, even if the science behind the rankings is a bit inconclusive.

The other reason is that as I make more big boards throughout the year, it’s interesting to track the progress (and regression) of certain prospects. I am inevitably wrong about most of these placements! But this article serves as a barometer for where I feel certain players are at in their development right now.

Note that several notable prospects (e.g. freshmen Max Christie, Matthew Cleveland, Nolan Hickman, Hunter Sallis, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, Jeremy Sochan, Kobe Bufkin) were excluded because I expect them to go back to school to improve their draft stock.

More likely than not, some of those players will declare for the 2022 NBA draft. When that happens, I obviously will not have them outside of my top 101.

Until then, as we prepare to turn the calendar into a new year, here are the debut rankings for 101 of my favorite prospects.

All stats are accurate as of Dec. 14 and are from Sports-Reference unless noted otherwise.

2022 NBA Mock Draft 2.0: Predicting all 59 picks, starting with Paolo Banchero

After a few games, we have a much better idea of how prospects like Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren will be used until the 2022 NBA draft.

After a few games, we have a much better idea of how prospects like Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren will be used until the 2022 NBA draft.

Preseason mock drafts, like the one we published back on Aug. 11, are especially challenging. Predictions are mostly guesswork based on uninformed priors until we’ve seen the usage of how each coach will implement the prospects we are evaluating.

Additionally, several players used the offseason to work on certain skill sets (e.g. Kansas’ Ochai Agbaji is now a much better shooter) in ways we couldn’t have projected.

As such, even though it’s only been a few games, it’s a lot easier to discuss the 2022 NBA draft now than it was even just last month. The season is underway for college basketball — and the G League Ignite, Overtime Elite, and several international leagues —  which means draft boards are shaping up.

After a ton of movement, as of right now, here is how we see the 2022 NBA draft unfolding.

Draft order is pulled from Tankathon. All stats are accurate as of 11/22/21.