"I definitely circled it on the calendar.": Scotty Pippen Jr. on facing the Lakers, surreal moment with dad Scottie Pippen and more (Exclusive)
The Los Angeles Lakers may no longer need to worry about facing Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant.
During Tuesday’s practice at the Clippers’ Intuit Dome, Grizzlies staffers wheelchaired Morant down the hallway while he heals a right hip injury that will keep him sidelined for at least a week. When the Lakers (6-4) host the Grizzlies (7-4) on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena, they may need to worry about Scottie Pippen Jr.
In his first game starting in place of Morant, Pippen recorded a triple-double in points (11) assists (11) and rebounds (10) against Washington. Pippen also is only two years removed from playing seldomly with the Lakers and on their G League team.
“I definitely circled it on the calendar.But I’ll approach it the same way I approach any game,” Pippen told Sportskeeda. “I’m going in there playing hard and letting the game be the game.”
Pippen talked about adjusting without Morant and how Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins has helped him since joining Memphis on a two-way contract in 2023-24. Pippen talked about his dad’s influence and what it meant to become the NBA’s first father-son duo in the play-by-play era to record a triple-double. And Pippen dished on both the positive experiences with the Lakers (LeBron James) and the negative ones (played in only six regular-season games with the Lakers in 2022-23 and mostly played in the G League).
“I didn’t really know what they wanted from me and what they expected from me,” Pippen told Sportskeeda. “Once I left there, I felt like it was a feeling that they didn’t want me there and that I didn’t have a future there. I didn’t really get too much dialogue on why I wasn’t there.”
Editor’s note; The following one-on-one interview has been edited and condensed.
What’s the reason for your strong play so far?
Pippen: “Just having the coach’s trust and confidence. I feel like my confidence has skyrocketed since last year with being able to play. I’m more comfortable with the NBA game. This is really my first year playing. I’m just getting more comfortable with the game and my teammates.”
How have you adjusted to starting these past two games without Ja?
Pippen: “I’m just playing hard. You’re losing the head of the snake. So you just try to go in there and, not only fill his role, but try to keep the trains moving. I’m playing the point-guard role however I can. I’m just trying to play hard on both offense and defense. I’m letting the game come to myself.”
How have you figured out when to look to score and when to get others involved?
Pippen: “Just being aggressive. I’m always being aggressive, and then reacting to the defense. If they let me score, then I’ll try to score. But I’m always being aggressive. That opens up my passing lanes.”
What do you think this group can take away from having to adjust last season without Ja?
Pippen: “Guys were able to develop their games last year. We’ve been playing freely. We’re continuing to grow on the offensive end. So I feel like this year, guys are more comfortable playing and feeling a lot more confident. Jaren [Jackson Jr] is a lot more confident after having one of his best offensive years last season. Guys like me have been able to play a lot.”
What will be the key to be able to sustain this moving forward?
Pippen: “Guy will have to step up. We’re all NBA players and all capable of going out there and playing. When you lose a guy like Ja, somebody has to step up. But it’s not just one person. It’s the whole team. Hopefully, we get some guys back that were injured, and can help with that as well. But it’s just about executing the game plan and play whoever we got to play.”
How’s Ja’s spirits been?
Pippen: “He’s been good. He’s still trying to recover from that. But he’s been able to be in good spirits.”
I see he’s still with the team on this trip. What does that mean to you guys?
Pippen: “It means a lot. He’s on the bench and cheering us all on the bench and in the locker room. He’s still talking and being a force.”
You and your pops just had a milestone. What does that mean to you? [Editor’s note: The Pippens became the first father-son duo to have a triple double in the NBA play-by-play era in 1996-97. Dolph and Danny Schayes was the other father-son duo to pull off that feat].
Pippen: “It’s crazy. I saw the stats. It’s still a surreal moment. He got it when he was 23 years old, too. I definitely think it was a blessing from God.”
Did you all celebrate that accomplishment?
Pippen: “We just went to dinner afterward. He was in the building for the game. It hit me the day after when people were hitting me up and stuff. It was definitely a crazy feeling.”
In what ways has your path shaped you?
Pippen: “I think it shaped me by being so hard working. I feel like I was always underlooked and undervalued. It always kept me working hard and trying to make a name for myself. I feel like I’m always undervalued and that I have to prove myself. I’ve always had a good support system to tell me to keep working hard and that my time will come.”
What parts of your game do you think have been undervalued?
Pippen: “I would say everything. I feel like throughout my whole career that I’ve never been someone that was highly ranked or highly talked about or anything like that, regardless of what I’ve been doing on the court.”
How do you view this upcoming Lakers’ game then?
Pippen: “It’s definitely more than a normal game. I’m able to come back and play at a place that I call home and against a team I was with formerly. I definitely circled it on the calendar. But I’ll approach it the same way I approach any game. I’m going in there playing hard and letting the game be the game.”
What do you take away from your experience with the Lakers?
Pippen: “I learned a lot. It was my first year in the NBA. So I was able to sit back and play with guys and be in practice with guys that I had watched growing up. So it definitely was great for me as a young player to see vets that were able to talk to me and kind of show me the ropes.”
What did LeBron show you?
Pippen: “The way he approached the game and the way he was a leader in the locker room and on the court. I think the main thing was also how he took care of his body. He was super vocal. Whenever he saw something, he would tell the team. He was always talking. Even if he wasn’t playing, he was always talking. He always showed hard work. Even in year 20, he was the first one to the gym. He was always stretching. He was always icing. He’s always on top of his game. I would look at him and be like, ‘This man is everything. Why is he still working so hard? Why is he here first when he could be the last one to show up and first to leave?’ But he’s still here grinding and putting in work. It shows throughout his career why he is so great.”
How about AD?
Pippen: “I would say it was the same thing. They both have their own trainers. They both put time and money into taking care of their bodies.”
What feedback did the organization give you on what they liked about you and what they needed more from you?
Pippen: “I didn’t really get any of that.”
How did you handle that?
Pippen: “I was kind of in the dark with that. I didn’t really know what they wanted from me and what they expected from me. Once I left there, I felt like it was a feeling that they didn’t want me there and that I didn’t have a future there. I didn’t really get too much dialogue on why I wasn’t there.”
You said the Milwaukee matchup had a little bit extra given that connection…
Pippen: “Definitely.”
How did that play out that night knowing that Darvin [Ham] was on the sideline?
Pippen: “I don’t think it affected my approach. I just go out and play hard. After the game, I just had a little bit of fun with it. Before the game, I might have thought about a little bit. But when I get out on the court, I’m not going out there trying to score more. I’m not trying to go out there and do more. I’m just trying to be myself.”
Well in that specific game, you played a role in not allowing Dame [Lillard] to have a big scoring night (Lillard went 1-for-12, and missed all three shots when Pippen defended him). What was the key to that?
Pippen: “Just pressuring him. I watched Dame a lot growing up. He used to be one of my favorite players. I was trying to be a pest to him and make it difficult on him. Shoutout to Jaylen Wells. He also helped me with that.”
I understand you’re your own man. But given your Pops had an accomplished career, in what ways did he influence you?
Pippen: “He’s been my biggest critic of my game. So after every game, he calls me and tells me. Maybe it’s something I don’t want to hear with how I played or points out the little stuff that I did wrong. He’s definitely been great for my career. After every game, I have a resource where I can just call and talk to him and break my game down.”
What critiques and messages from him really helped you?
Pippen: “It’s about my all-around game. Whatever he sees, he tells me. Whether it be on defense and ‘you’re doing this too much.’ Or on offense, ‘do this better.’ It’s everything.”
And that was his game. What things did you take from watching him?
Pippen: “I didn’t study his game too much because I was born after he was mostly playing. Once I remember playing basketball, he was not playing. So I didn’t watch too much of him in actual games. But I watched highlights and stuff like that. Most of the stuff I take away from him is stuff that he sees from my game that he tells me about.”
When you watch highlights of his game, do you have any favorite performances?
Pippen: “I would say him winning those championships and then how he would dunk on people. Growing up, I always wanted to be able to dunk on people. Unfortunately, I wasn’t tall enough.”
Despite being 6’1, how have you overcome that?
Pippen: “When I was talking about earlier about being overlooked, I think it was because of my size. That always pushed me more because people always said I was too small. I always wanted to prove to myself that I could do it at my size, maybe in a different way. I wasn’t the tallest guy, the most athletic, the strongest or the best shooter. So I was always a smart player and always played the game the right way.”
What’s Taylor’s feedback to you on what he likes and what your next steps are?
Pippen: “I think the biggest thing with Coach Taylor is he’s super transparent with me. He coaches me. I never really had a coach before who was super specific with me and would break down film with me on a personal level. When Coach Taylor sees something, whether it be good or bad, he’s going to let me know. At the end of the day, we have a great relationship. He’s happy with the way I’ve been playing, the way our pace has been and my defense. He stays on me about those things every game. So I know at the end of the day that he does care about me. He coaches me so well.”
To paint a picture, what do the film sessions look like when he breaks down what he likes and doesn’t like?
Pippen: “Like you said with the Dame stuff, he would be showing clips of me defending players. He would say, ‘What does this look like?’ I’ll give him my feedback. Then he’ll say, ‘Nah, you should do this.’ Then he breaks it down for me like that. Or offensively, if I’m playing too slow and my passes are not as crisp as it needs to be, he’ll get me with one of the coaches and we’ll watch film of me just passing the ball.”
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.