Grizzlies' Scotty Pippen Jr. Says He 'Definitely Circled' Game vs. Lakers on Calendar
Memphis Grizzlies point guard Scotty Pippen Jr. has been looking forward to Wednesday's road game against the Los Angeles Lakers for quite some time, as it will be his first visit to Crypto.com Arena since leaving the team with which he started his NBA career.
"I definitely circled it on the calendar," Pippen told Sportskeeda's Mark Medina. "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."
Pippen signed with the Lakers as an undrafted free agent and appeared in six games during the 2022-23 season. He started the 2023-24 season with the team's G-League affiliate in South Bay before the Grizzlies signed him to a two-way contract in January. His deal was converted to a standard four-year contract in October. He told Medina that he didn't have much clarity as to why the Lakers were so willing to let him go.
"I didn't really know what they wanted from me and what they expected from me," Pippen said. "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."
Since leaving Los Angeles, Pippen has faced his former team three times in Memphis. He scored a career-high 28 points in a 123-120 loss to the Lakers late last season. In their first meeting this year, he had 14 points, six rebounds and four assists off the bench as the Grizzlies earned a 131-114 win.
Pippen will have a bigger role when he visits Los Angeles on Wednesday, as he is set to start in place of star point guard Ja Morant, who is still sidelined with a hip injury.
The 24-year-old has been impressive with averages of 12.1 points and 6.5 assists while shooting 52.1 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from three-point range, so Memphis should be comfortable with having him as its floor general in Morant's absence.
