The Los Angeles Lakers NBA Summer League team might have lost their first game in Las Vegas to the Phoenix Suns, but there was one clear bright spot offensively: Scotty Pippen Jr. The son of Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen, he scored 19 points, despite turning the ball over five times.
Pippen Jr revealed that Russell Westbrook gave him a piece of advice as the Suns continued to attack him defensively. Via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
“He gave me some pointers and I ended up using them,” Pippen said of advice Westbrook offered up on how to thwart the Suns' defensive pressure.
Turnovers have been a problem for the Lakers undrafted rookie. However, he showed a willingness to attack the hoop and get downhill against Phoenix and even got an assist from LeBron James during the contest after an and-1 bucket:
LeBron lending a helping hand after Scotty Pippen Jr. knocked down the tough and-1 bucket! pic.twitter.com/l0S4gAAjF7
— NBA (@NBA) July 9, 2022
Westbrook also struggled immensely with taking care of the basketball last season, but if there is one thing he knows how to do, it's attack the cup. That's obviously the words of advice he gave Pippen Jr.
The former Vanderbilt standout was signed on a two-way deal by the Lakers after the 2022 NBA Draft following a fantastic career with the Commodores. He's already showing a special ability to score the rock, but the mistakes need to be limited.
It's likely Pippen Jr finds himself in the G-League to start the season but there is certainly the chance he could see some NBA minutes throughout 2022-23 if he can continue to score at a high level in Vegas. It does help when he has role models like Westbrook and LeBron offering him words of wisdom during games.