We’re reliving what it’s like to have a Pippen in the league again. Scotty Pippen Jr. emerged as a promising star in college but even he had a slow start in the NBA, till he arrived in Memphis and is now the NBA scion to watch apart from that one on the Lakers. To cap off his new contract with the Grizzlies, Scotty recorded an epic double-double versus – wait for it – the Chicago Bulls. His dad’s old team emerged the winner by a narrow 123-126 margin, but the star of the show was Scotty Pippen Jr.

As Scottie and Larsa Pippen’s eldest son is finally earning his due, the comparisons to his 6x NBA champ dad are inevitable. Notably, Scottie Pippen was a breakout star from college to the draft. That’s where the father-son duo differ the most.

The Pippens emerge as understated stars

In some ways, both Scottie Pippen and his son three decades later had a similar start to their collegiate careers. The Arkansas native caught the attention of head coach, Don Dyer, who recruited him to the University of Central Arkansas, an NAIA team, as a walk-on in 1983. There was no media hype surrounding Pippen Sr. back then the way NCAA recruits got. As a reserve, he averaged 4.3 points a game.

That was until he grew to 6’8″ and became a dominant presence on the court. Like a foreshadowing of his career alongside Michael Jordan, Pippen was averaging 23.6 points, 10 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and nearly 60 percent field goal shooting in his senior year. He’d finish his college career with consensus NAIA All-American honors in 1986 and 1987. In his entire college career, Pippen averaged 16.6 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.9 SPG; and 54.2% FG.

Unlike his dad, Scotty Pippen Jr. didn’t come out of nowhere and elevate a relatively unknown basketball program. The spotlight was always on him and his siblings since high school. He wasn’t born when his dad was picking up NBA championships and his style was vastly different. The Bulls legend was one of the greatest forwards in NBA history, while Scotty Jr.’s focus has been on a combination of defense and shooting as a guard.

When he committed to Vanderbilt in 2019, the weight of expectations on Scotty was heavy. He played 32 games in his freshman season, averaging a meager 12 points per game. He’d eventually grow into his body and find his groove. By junior year, Scotty averaged 20.4 points per game, leading the SEC. He holds one of the highest assists records in Vanderbilt history, was All-SEC First Team, and 2022 Tennessee Sports Writers Association State Player of the Year. As per NCAA records, Scotty Jr averaged 15.6 PPG, 4.1 APG, 2.8 RPG; and 41.1% FG.

Pippen Jr. gives Scottie Pippen vibes

By the time both Pippens declared for the NBA Draft 35 years apart, both seemed in shape. Scottie Pippen’s emergence in the NAIA had caught the attention of NBA scouts. As history goes, the Chicago Bulls acquired Pippen through Seattle picking him fifth overall in the 1987 Draft.

It was a different story for his kid. The 6’1″ guard did impress in the 2022 NBA combine at Wintrust Arena, not far from the United Center where his father spent his prime. He led one game with 21 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals. But he went unselected in the 2022 Draft (as did Shaq’s son, Shareef O’Neal). He signed a two-way contract with the Lakers and ended up in the G-League.

The South Bay Lakers were apparently good for his development. By the time he signed with the Memphis Grizzlies in January 2024, he was a new and improved player.

For Sr., in his first two seasons, The Pip emerged as the perfect sidekick to Michael Jordan. He was a starter very early in his NBA debut and enabled the Bulls to reach the playoffs three years in a row. With career-high records right away, he became an All-Star by 1990.

Scotty is making a mark two years since he was in the draft, going from an afterthought to a key player in a shorthanded Grizzlies roster. In October, he turned his two-way contract into a four-year contract with the Grizzlies. In one of his first games as a standard contract player, Scotty came off the bench to finish with 14 points, 10 assists, and a block and steal each. Like his dad was the most reliable Robin in NBA history, Scotty Pippen Jr. is looking like one of the best backup guards in the league.