As the Los Angeles Lakers hit the road for the first time during the 2025 NBA Playoffs, a glaring flaw is rearing its head. Despite the progress that the second unit appeared to make during the closing weeks of the regular season, Los Angeles has relied extensively on its starting lineup for offense.
On Thursday, Apr. 24, salt was effectively thrown in that wound when a former Lakers player turned in a career-best performance on the postseason stage.
The Memphis Grizzlies hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday in a crucial Game 3. Memphis jumped out to a massive 29-point lead, but when Ja Morant went down with a scary injury, momentum swung back in the Thunder's favor.
Oklahoma City went on to complete the largest halftime comeback in postseason history, thus erasing any of the positives that Memphis was hoping to shift the focus to.
While the general consensus is that the Grizzlies have nothing to smile about, one player gave the Lakers a reason to be even more remorseful: Scotty Pippen Jr. Pippen, who played for Los Angeles' G League affiliate between 2022 and 2023, was nothing short of brilliant against the Thunder.
As the Lakers search for sources of quality depth, Pippen has reminded them that a cost-efficient source of it was allowed to walk for no return.
Former Lakers guard Scotty Pippen Jr. goes off in Game 3 for Grizzlies
Pippen finished Game 3 with 28 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals, and a block in 38 magnificent minutes. He shot 8-of-16 from the field, 6-of-10 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line.
It was a statement game from Pippen, who showed out despite going up against one of the best defensive perimeters in the NBA.
This is just the latest intriguing development to emerge from Pippen's first full season as an NBA player. He appeared in six games for the Lakers in 2022-23 and 21 for the Grizzlies in 2023-24, but it was in 2024-25 that he played a career-high 79 games.
Pippen took advantage of the opportunity, averaging 9.9 points, 4.4 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 three-point field goals made on .480/.397/.713 shooting in just 21.3 minutes per game.
If those numbers sound impressive, trust that you're onto something. Pippen's per-game averages translated to 16.7 points, 7.4 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 1.9 three-point field goals made per 36 minutes.
If that isn't enough to make you wish the Lakers still had him on the roster, try the fact that he still has three years at an average of just $2,507,137 remaining on his contract.
Back in Los Angeles, generating offensive via the second unit continues to be a point of contention. The Lakers ranked No. 29 in bench points per game during the regular season and have thus far produced 26 total points from reserves during the playoffs.
Pippen has moved into the Grizzlies' starting lineup, but one can only imagine how well the Lakers would be playing if he were the backup to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.