Scotty Pippen Jr.’s basketball journey has been anything but easy. And it was never going to be easy considering the expectations that come with being the son of Scottie Pippen. However, Pippen Jr. has sent a strong message against all the judgment and perceived notions about him through a video on Instagram. After his stunning performances at the recently concluded Summer League, where he received numerous MVP shouts, the 23-year-old seems to be on a mission this season. The video left many emotional, including his mother, Larsa Pippen.

“@spippenjr this made me (crying emoji)… I’m so proud of you my love,” Larsa captioned the story. As for the content of the video, Pippen Jr. put forward a rhetorical question of whether people believe he does not come to know about all the jokes, tweets, posts, and comments that circulate against him. He realizes that no matter what, he cannot avoid comparisons with his father, especially because of his name.

While highlighting multiple challenges that he faced throughout his career so far, the 23-year-old asks one question again and again — “Still think it was meant to be?” The reference is towards his destiny of becoming an NBA player. Some other challenges highlighted in the video include him going undrafted in 2022. And this was despite impressive performances in his college career. Scotty averaged 20+ points per game in both his sophomore year and junior year.

However, Pippen Jr. still found his way into the league with a two-way deal with the LA Lakers. But the problems did not end for the 23-year-old. Some believe this was a steal deal for the Lakers as Pippen was now playing in both the NBA and G-League. As it may be, his playing time in season 2023-24 got cut short because of an injury. What was the adverse outcome of it? He missed out on contract options and other opportunities, as stated in the video.

However, his comeback in the next season of the G-League was quite notable. The 23-year-old averaged 21.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.6 assists. “After a hot start, I tear a ligament in my elbow from diving for a loose ball. Two days later, I get offered a two-way deal from a team, but I couldn’t pass the physical,” Pippen Jr, said in the video. Further highlighting some other issues and the work he put in instead of taking time to himself, the 23-year-old concluded with, “None of this was meant to be, not for me. If anything, I make it meant to be.” 

Certain speculations suggest that Scotty went undrafted in 2022 because of being comparatively smaller than a team would expect their point guard to be. However, the 6’1″ player did not give up. His stats in the last season with the Memphis Grizzlies may not have been exceptional, but he showed growth in certain aspects.

Scotty Pippen Jr.’s growth from his second G-League appearance to present Summer League in Vegas

He played 21 games with the Grizzlies last season owing to injuries on the roster, averaging 12.9 PPG. But his shooting from the field and from the 3-point line reflected nothing but improvement. As compared to Scotty’s second G-League appearance, his field goal percentage increased from 46.9% to 49.3%. Shooting from beyond the arc increased from 30% to 41.7%.

Now, although the 3-point shooting department has witnessed a decline in the recent Summer League in Las Vegas, his 21.5 PPG in 6 games was quite impressive. Apart from this, his rebounding skills also beamed with 5 RPG. But his play-making skills witnessed a different growth altogether — 8.7 assists per game. So, even though he still has a long path to cover, the constant growth and urge to improve even further seem to promise a strong future for him.