Grizzlies Receive Major Blow After Latest Scotty Pippen Jr. News

How Long Will Pippen Jr. be Out?

To make matters worse, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Pippen Jr. will be out for 12 weeks.

Last season, Pippen averaged 9.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists on 48 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent shooting from 3 for Memphis.

Even with a dip in offensive output, his 79 appearances last season were a career high — well beyond either of his previous two years, which included stints in the G League.

Safe to say, Pippen is eager to make his mark again.

“I’m feeling good, man,” the guard said ahead of training camp, prior to his injury. “Definitely (people are sleeping on us). That’s been the story of the last couple years of Memphis and the story of my career, so I think people are definitely sleeping on us.”

Before entering the NBA, Pippen was a two-time first-team All-SEC selection at Vanderbilt, where he averaged 20 points per game during his sophomore and junior seasons. Despite his scoring prowess, the Commodores never found consistent team success.

The Grizzlies haven’t made deep postseason runs, but they’ve avoided the basement, too. That middle ground might be what’s fueling Pippen ahead of the new season.

“I feel like everyone’s excited,” Pippen said. “I feel like this is our year. Last year we kind of started hot and kind of took a little dip. This year, I feel like we’re all excited and ready to get to it.”

Pippen will just have to wait a little longer before making his debut.

No Point Guards Left?

Without Pippen Jr., the Grizzlies are now down three different point guards. The team has injuries to Ja Morant, Ty Jerome, and Pippen Jr. Fortunately, it seems like Morant may be poised to return on opening night, but the load he may have to carry will be too high.

If the Grizzlies have no depth at the point guard position, then Morant may find himself getting quickly injured again, especially with his history.