LeBron James expects big things out of this Lakers rookie

The Los Angeles Lakers may be a veteran-heavy team trying to make some noise in the playoffs, but Rob Pelinka and Darvin Ham made an effort to get some young pieces around LeBron James. In addition to drafting Max Christie, LA brought in Scotty Pippen Jr. on a two-way contract.

Pippen is obviously going to get a ton of eyeballs focused on him because of his name and his father. Even if you remove those aspects of his life from the equation, his dominant college career at Vanderbilt proved him to be worthy of a spot on an NBA roster.

Pippen is not as big or defensively sound as his dad, but he is a legitimate bucket-getter who helped make the Lakers must-see TV during his Summer League stint. James is not content with just letting Pippen be a Vegas legend. He is expecting big things from the young Commodore.

James tweeted that Pippen has a “bright future” with the Lakers after impressing in both pre-draft workouts and his brief Summer League stint. If he gets some lucky bounces, Pippen may just end up playing a very small role in the rotation this season. All he needs to do is keep chopping wood in the G League for a bit.

LeBron James, Lakers are impressed by Scotty Pippen Jr.

Pippen averaged 11.6 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.2 steals per game in Summer League. What stood out most about Pippen is his ability to take and make difficult shots. Having that ability at such a young age is going to be a differentiating factor that sets him apart.

Pippen was a consistent 20-points-per-game scorer in his collegiate days, and it appears as though he has that aggression with him in the NBA. The key for him will be sustaining that drive and aggression while still establishing himself as a defensive presence who isn’t ball-dominant.

The lack of efficiency was startling, as he only converted on 35% of his shots against inferior competition. While he works on his touch around the rim in the G League, LA can take solace in the fact that Pippen looked more engaged on defense and willing to pass the ball.

While the conversion rate from two-way player to quality rotation fixture is relatively low, Pippen has more than enough raw potential to be one of the success stories that overcome long odds. On a thin Lakers team, Pippen shouldn’t be counted out as a potential long-term bench piece.

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