When the Los Angeles Lakers signed guard Scottie Pippen Jr. as a fallen rookie free agent last month, some fans hoped he would be a rainy day diamond in the rough.
After all, he’s the son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, a 6-foot-8-inch forward who was one of the greatest defensive players of all time and a six-time NBA champion for the Chicago Bulls.
So far, the young Pippen hasn’t stood out in the NBA Summer League, but he has shown potential in certain areas of the game.
After Friday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns, it’s clear that Pippen has a lot of work to do, but he may have a chance to make a major league roster at some point.
Bad
Pippen is 6-foot-3, but weighs only 180 pounds. He’s not unathletic by any means, but he doesn’t seem to have above-average speed or quickness, which would limit his potential.
He also has limited passing and assist skills, which could make him more of an undersized point guard or possibly a two-way defender.
Pippen’s outside shooting needs improvement. In the first two games of the California Classic, he shot 5-of-19 from the field and 1-of-8 from 3-point range, and he was 1-of-5 from downtown on Friday.
Another issue with him is that he is prone to turnovers, especially when he handles the ball. In his three games with Los Angeles, he had a total of 13 turnovers compared to only nine assists.
Good
On the positive side, Pippen has shown some ability to attack the basket and finish at the rim, especially on Friday against the Suns.
Although his defense is not the best, he also tallied three steals on Friday after getting two in the Lakers’ last game against the Sacramento Kings.
Overall, he scored 19 points in 24 minutes against Phoenix, despite being inefficient.
Pippen is obviously a project-based player, but if his desire and work ethic are very high, he will one day find himself fitting in the NBA.