Rookie Los Angeles Lakers two-way player Scotty Pippen Jr. ably represented LA last night during the Jordan Rising Stars event, this time enacted via a three-game mini-tournament featuring four teams comprising seven players each. Each team squared off against the other once, playing until someone reached 40 points, then the two winners of those games faced each other to win the cumulative competition -- the first club to reach 25 points was declared the victory.
Pippen played for Team Jason, coached by longtime NBA sixth man combo guard Jason Terry, a 2011 champ with the Dallas Mavericks. Team Jason was fielded entirely with G League and two-way players, including former Laker Mac McClung and anticipated 2023 No. 2 draft pick Scoot Henderson.
A 6'3" point guard whom Los Angeles inked to a two-way contract after he went undrafted out of Vanderbilt last summer, Pippen started for his club in its lone game. In 8:36 of action, he scored five points on 2-of-3 shooting (1-of-2 from deep) and registered two steals and a team-low -17 plus-minus. Team Jason fell to Team Joakim (coached by former two-time All-Star Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah), 40-32.
The highlight of Pippen's night came on this nifty up-and-under finish against ascendant Oklahoma City Thunder swingman Josh Giddey:
Pippen has only seen limited run with Los Angeles this season, spending the majority of his time with the team's NBAGL affiliate in El Segundo, the South Bay Lakers. With LA, Pippen has cameoed in six games, averaging 2.3 points and 0.7 rebounds across 5.3 minutes.
For South Bay, however, Pippen has looked spectacular. Across eight regular season G League games, all of the bench, he is averaging 24.3 points on .509/.410/.792 shooting splits, 6.9 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals. He's still very much a work-in-progress at the next level, but it appears he may have some upside yet.
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