The Memphis Grizzlies have done a good job over the past few years of identifying overlooked talents and developing them into quality contributors. One of the gems they've unearthed is Scotty Pippen Jr., who is on a revenge tour of sorts as he looks to show the Los Angeles Lakers what they missed out on by letting go of him. And on Wednesday night, Pippen and the Grizzlies got the last laugh, as they took a comfortable 131-113 win over an Anthony Davis-less Lakers squad.
Pippen already revealed that he has a point to prove against those he feels had wronged him, with former Lakers head coach Darvin Ham being one of them. He simply cemented this by saying that he did have something extra in reserve for the Lakers.
“Definitely [a little extra]. They didn’t believe in me, so I'm out here trying my best,” Pippen said in his postgame interview, via Hoop Central on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Pippen has done nothing but improve rapidly since leaving the Lakers. He has been making the most out of all the opportunities that the Grizzlies have given him, and he is certainly playing at a level where he could stare the Lakers front office straight in the eyes and tell them that they indeed missed out by releasing him.
At the time of Pippen's release (October 2023), the Lakers had other priorities in the backcourt, with D'Angelo Russell and Gabe Vincent set to command a ton of minutes at the position — not to mention that they drafted Jalen Hood-Schifino, a player whose skillset requires him to have the ball to be effective.
But at this point, after Pippen's impressive end to the 2023-24 season following the opportunity he got amid the Grizzlies' injury problems, he has emerged as one of the best backup point guards in the league — and with the Lakers' point guard situation currently in flux, the 23-year-old guard is looking like someone who got away from the Purple and Gold. Pippen most certainly won't let them forget.
Scotty Pippen Jr. has become a legitimately good player for the Grizzlies
Being the son of a Hall of Famer has its pros and cons. One of its cons is that there is immense pressure for them to make something out of themselves so they could live up to the family name. But one of the pros is that it gets their feet in the door, and Scotty Pippen Jr. has done nothing but take advantage of this opportunity.
Pippen is showing off his incredible feel for the game, and he has been repaying the Grizzlies' decision to entrust him with a ton of ballhandling duties. He has three games with 10 or more assists this season, and he has been rather solid on the defensive end as well, as evidenced by how he helped the Grizzlies hold Damian Lillard to his season-worst effort.
The contract Pippen signed is looking like it will turn into an absolute bargain for the Grizzlies. Signing team-friendly deals seems to be in the Pippen blood.
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