Lakers superstar LeBron James had high praise for undrafted rookie Scotty Pippen Jr.
For the second summer in a row, the Lakers entered the NBA Draft low on picks and salary cap flexibility. LA bought their way into the second round to draft Michigan State wing Max Christie, but as soon as the draft concluded, the Lakers were quick to sign a pair of players to two-way contracts for this coming season. Cole Swider isn’t a household name, but everyone and everybody recognized Scotty Pippen Jr.’s last name.
View the original article to see embedded media.
Pippen Jr., the son of Chicago Bulls Hall-of-Famer Scottie Pippen, played on both the Lakers California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League’s teams and showed flashes of his promising talent.
The Lakers official twitter feed posted a highlight reel Pippen Jr. and LeBron James took notice. LeBron voiced his support for the young Laker and appears to be bought in on him having a future in the NBA.
In his final year at Vanderbilt, Scotty Pippen Jr. led the SEC in scoring (20.4 PPG). Which is an impressive feat considering the third overall pick Jabari Smith this year was in the same conference.
Pippen Jr. was a two-time All SEC selection and also earned SEC All-Freshman team honors during his three seasons at Vandy.
In his five games in Las Vegas Summer League, Pippen Jr. was fourth in steals per game (2.6) and ran many of the offensive sets while he was on the floor. He struggled with turnovers (3.0 TPG), but his hard-nosed approach and basketball IQ could serve him well if he can get to the next level.
He already has a very important supporter in LeBron James.
