The Los Angeles Lakers began the day without a draft pick, but have been extremely busy in acquiring young talent that they can develop. After selecting Max Christie with the 35th pick, which they acquired earlier in the day, the franchise immediately went to work once the draft ended on bringing in the top undrafted players.
The Lakers brought in a number of different prospects over the past few weeks so they would know exactly who would fit best on a developmental deal and one of the most intriguing was Vanderbilt guard Scotty Pippen Jr., son of NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen.
Not long after the conclusion of the 2022 NBA Draft, the Lakers agreed to a two-way deal with the junior out of Vanderbilt according to
Lakers are signing Scotty Pippen Jr. to a two-way contract, source tells @TheAthletic — Bill Oram (@billoram)
Lakers are signing Scotty Pippen Jr. to a two-way contract, source tells @TheAthletic
— Bill Oram (@billoram) June 24, 2022
Pippen is not just coasting off of his father’s name as he was an extremely accomplished player during his time at Vanderbilt. He was a two-time First Team All-SEC selection who led the conference in scoring last season at 20.4 points per game. He was also second in the conference in steals at 1.9 to go along with 4.5 assists and 3.6 rebounds.
Defense will be a sticking point for the Lakers under new coach Darvin Ham and Pippen has the potential to be a real disruptive force at the point guard position. He is also someone who can create offense both for himself and others.
The biggest area where Pippen will need to improve is with his outside shot. As a sophomore, he shot a respectable 35.8% from 3-point range on 5.5 attempts and 85% from the free-throw line. But those numbers dipped last season to just 32.5% from deep and 74.9% from the line, though his 8.3 free throw attempts per game is proof of his aggression and ability to get to the rim.
The Lakers have done well recently in finding undrafted gems like Austin Reaves and utilizing their two-way contracts to really develop players as they did with Alex Caruso. The team clearly sees something in Pippen and now it will be up to the staff to bring the best out of him.
Lakers agree to two-way contract with Syracuse’s Cole Swider
The Lakers also locked down their other two-way contract, bringing in Syracuse sharpshooter Cole Swider with their second developmental deal.
Last season with the Orange Swider averaged 13.9 points and 6.8 rebounds while knocking down an impressive 41.1% from deep on six attempts per game.
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