Did the LA Lakers fumble Scotty Pippen Jr.? The son of the legendary NBA player Scottie Pippen signed with the Lakers for the 2022/23 season and made six appearances with the NBA team but was waived off at the end of the preseason last year. In January the Memphis Grizzlies swooped in for the 23-year-old and he quickly reminded his former team of what they were missing out on.

Back in April, he scored a career-high 28 points against them while playing for the Grizzlies. He also notched up six assists, five rebounds, and four steals as the Lakers received a closer look at his talents. The Lakers had initially signed Pippen Jr. on a two-way contract after his stint at Vanderbilt from 2019-2022. He mainly made appearances for the team’s G-League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers for much of the 2022/23 season.

He averaged 2.3 points in 5.3 minutes per game in his six games for the Lakers and in September 2023, the franchise signed him to an Exhibit 10 contract. Jared Weiss of The Athletic explained the terms of the contract stating:

“Quick explainer on Exhibit 10 contracts: It’s a training camp deal for the minimum salary (around $850-900k) that usually includes a bonus up to $50k. The team then can waive him at the end of the preseason and make him a designated player for the G-League, or convert to a 2-way.” The Lakers chose to exercise the waive-off option on October 16 and sent him to the G League two weeks later.

But technically, Pippen Jr. was a free agent as the G-League explains: “29 of the 31 NBA G League teams are singly affiliated with an NBA franchise, but that does not mean that NBA franchises own exclusive rights to all of the players on their NBA G League roster (like in Major League Baseball).

Outside of Two-Way Players and players on NBA Assignment, the majority of players in the NBA G League are available for any of the 30 NBA teams to sign (call up); these NBA G League players have signed contracts with the league rather than their individual team, so by NBA standards they are technically free agents.”

Hence, Pipper Jr. was snapped up by the Grizzles on a two-way contract on January 16 and they have been richly rewarded. Last season, he appeared in 21 games (16 starts)  and averaged 12.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. His performances this season have already got the fans talking him up while calling out the Lakers for their decision to let him go.

Game 3 of the new NBA season saw Memphis face off against the Orlando Magic and secure a 124-111 win. One of the biggest talking points was Scotty Pippen Jr.’s standout performance. Playing 23 minutes, he racked up an impressive 11 points, 12 assists, and 5 rebounds. His stats weren’t just a fluke, as he’d been putting up solid numbers in previous games as well.

In the previous two games, he put up 23 assists and 30 points to go along with 11 rebounds. After Game 3, Statline shared an elite list of assist leaders in the NBA so far. With his 23 assists Pippen Jr. ranked 3rd, behind James Harden and Cade Cunningham after three games. Scotty Pippen Jr. is already proving to be a shrewd acquisition for the Grizzlies while the Lakers might be regretting their decision.

Since joining the Memphis Grizzlies, Scotty Jr. has shown signs of his father’s grit, sparking debates among fans about whether the Lakers made a big mistake in letting him go. His performances this season so far and being the third-ranked player in assists have been lauded by the fans who are starting to believe that he can be a success in the NBA

Fans question Lakers’ decision after Scottie Pippen Jr. shines

First, it was his standout performance during the summer league that almost got him the MVP honors and now his 3-game performance culminating in a 10-point and 7.7-assist average has fans buzzing. During the summer league, the competition for MVP was fierce between Scotty and Jalen Wilson, having averaged 20.0 points and 8.2 assists per game, while making the 2024 NBA Summer League First Team. But in the end, Wilson took the award.

One fan summed up the hype perfectly, saying, “He was fire at summer league, so fun watching him get it done with the big dogs.” Another boldly chimed in with, “@scottiepippen like father like son.”

Unsurprisingly, Scotty Jr.’s biggest supporter, his mom Larsa Pippen, even joined the conversation, posting a “😍” emoji under the social media post. Larsa, however, wasn’t too thrilled, sharing her disagreement on social media at the time.

Many fans also started blaming the Lakers management for wasting Scotty Pippen Jr.’s potential at the franchise. One fan blamed the previous Laker manager for this writing, “This is exactly why I was so frustrated with Darvin ham. He could’ve used Pippen, Hayes, and hachimura so much more effectively”.

Another pointed out, “The lakers ability to find young talent but fall to develop it is insane.” With Laker’s current star LeBron James at 4th place with 22 Assists and last season’s MVP Jayson Tatum at 10th with 18 assists, a fan also asked if he’s “another Lakers miss.”  This isn’t the first time the Lakers have let an enticing prospect leave for nothing.

In 2021, they let former champion Alex Caruso leave for free, and in another baffling decision, the franchise traded Ivica Zubac and Michael Beasley to the Los Angeles Clippers for Mike Muscala. Since then, Zubac has become a mainstay at the Clippers and is enjoying a transformative season this time, averaging 22.7 points in three games so far.

While it’s still too early to tell if Pippen Jr. will reach his Hall of Fame father’s heights, fans agree that he’s starting to live up to the family name.  As one person put it, “He actually lives up to his name’s hype lmao.”

For now, all eyes will be on Pippen Jr. and the Grizzlies especially when they take on the Lakers on November 6. That game will be another chance for Scotty Pippen Jr. to prove that the team was wrong in letting him go and it could be another night of regret for LeBron James and Co.