Scotty Pippen Jr. and Shareef O’Neal took the floor in the purple and gold for the first time Saturday
The Lakers opened NBA Summer League with a win over the Heat in a matchup that featured the debuts of two players withRookie guard Scotty Pippen Jr. and forward Shareef O’Neal took the floor in the purple and gold for the first time Saturday in L.A.’s 100–66 win over Miami. The sons of NBA Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neal and Scottie Pippen, O’Neal and Pippen Jr. inked Summer League deals with the famed franchise after neither were selected in last week’s draft.
A two-time first-team All-SEC talent at Vanderbilt, Pippen started in the backcourt next to fellow rookie Max Christie, the Lakers’ lone 2022 draft pick . Pippen, whoupon his arrival, showed flashes of his two-way potential in a featured role; the 21-year-old impressed in the third quarter on a sequence that saw him score on a hard drive to the rim before blocking a shot on the other end.
Pippen finished the contest with 14 points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field , six rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes of action. He also made seven of his eight free throw attempts, and committed five turnovers. After starting the contest as a reserve, the 22-year-old O’Neal made his first appearance with 3:39 to play in the first quarter. The former UCLA and LSU big man wasted little time in scoring his first points after securing a pass and finishing with a layup after a strong dribble.