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With only one draft pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers had to look to undrafted free agency to add more young players. The team quickly signed the son of a legend by bringing in Shareef O’Neal for Summer League. The Lakers didn’t stop there with the signing of players with ties to legends.
Prior to the draft, the team brought in Scotty Pippen Jr. for a workout, who is the son of Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen. The Lakers must have liked what they saw as Pippen announced on draft night that he was heading to Los Angeles.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Pippen is getting a two-way contract with the Lakers, which is a step above the Summer League deal O’Neal got.
Pippen is a much different player than his father as he is smaller. Jr. is only 6-foot-1 while Scottie Pippen is 6-foot-8. The 21-year-old guard was a successful college player at Vanderbilt having been named First-team All-SEC in each of the last two seasons. He finished his three years in college averaging 17.5 points per game with 4.3 assists. The NBA isn’t littered with superstars who are sons of legends but Pippen certainly has potential.
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Pippen Has Opened up About Being the Son of an NBA Legend
Pippen’s basketball journey has had a lot of help thanks to who his father is. That’s worked for and against him. There are plenty of players in the NBA who are the sons of former players but not many of them have superstar fathers. Prior to the draft, Pippen opened up to Heavy.com’s Steve Bulpett about growing up as the son of a Hall of Famer:
I’ve always had the name. It always was a pressure to perform, even being a little kid growing up in Chicago. Like, we would go play kids and everyone would go at me. Parents would say, ‘Oh, that Scottie Pippen’s son. Go at him.’ But you know, I’m just used to it. I’m my own person. At the end of the day, I go out there and I compete. You know, my dad’s not out there with me. So I think that at the end of the day, it’s my own legacy, it’s my own name.
I think the name, it’s a blessing and a curse. You know, people would doubt me because of it, and they expect me to be something and they put certain pressure on me. They think of my dad when they look at me, so I think it is what it is. I’m used to it, but I’m my own person. I’m creating my own legacy here and that’s what I came here to do.
Can Pippen Make the Lakers Roster?
As an undrafted free agent, Pippen will have to make a name for himself by showing that he can play defense and shoot. He was only a 34.3% 3-point shooter in college so that will need a lot of work this offseason. However, he’s got some defensive ability and gives effort on that side of the court.
The Lakers have found a couple of really good guards in undrafted free agency in recent years in Alex Caruso and Austin Reaves. The way they succeeded was by being pesky defenders from Day 1. If Pippen can prove to be an impact player on defense, he’ll have a real shot at making a Lakers team that could use some young defensive talent.
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