How Vanderbilt fans should remember Scotty Pippen Jr.'s career
Vanderbilt point guard Scotty Pippen Jr. announced on Monday afternoon that he would be entering the NBA Draft and has plans to sign with an agent. Pippen’s decision does not come as much of a surprise after finishing his junior season as the SEC’s leading scorer, averaging 20.4 PPG. Pippen will be leaving Vanderbilt after […]
Vanderbilt point guard Scotty Pippen Jr. announced on Monday afternoon that he would be entering the NBA Draft and has plans to sign with an agent. Pippen’s decision does not come as much of a surprise after finishing his junior season as the SEC’s leading scorer, averaging 20.4 PPG. Pippen will be leaving Vanderbilt after significantly altering the state of the Vanderbilt men’s basketball program for the better.
Pippen was able to put together one of the most astonishing careers statistically Vanderbilt hoops has ever seen. In 2021-22, Pippen set Vandy’s single season scoring record with 736 points. A prolific scorer, his 1,577 career points rank 12th in Vanderbilt men’s basketball history.
He was also quite the distributor of the basketball. In fact, Pippen checks in at 10th all time in career assists at Vandy with 383. His 162 assists in 2021-22 rank fifth for single-season assists at Vanderbilt.
Pippen was highly decorated during his time on West End. He earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors to go along with two All-SEC first team nods, while also earning a spot on the Lute Olson All-America team.
As one of the SEC’s most talented players over the last couple of seasons, Pippen’s size at 6’1” is really the only knock draft scouts have on him currently. Nbadraftroom.com currently has a second round grade on Pippen which seems low for his accomplishments and talent.
However, for as crafty and intelligent as Vandy fans know Pippen to be, his ability to get to the free throw line is one skill that will certainly carry over to the NBA. Pippen led the nation in made free throws (224) as well as free throw attempts (299) in 2021-22 – both single-season records at Vandy.
He looks to become the ninth player drafted out of Vanderbilt since 2012. Pippen would join his former Commodore teammates Darius Garland, Aaron Nesmith, and Saben Lee in doing so.
Pippen was head coach Jerry Stackhouse’s first recruit after being hired in 2019. The pair arrived in Nashville as Vandy was coming off a dreadful 2018-19 season that saw the team finish with a 9-23 record, including an 0-18 mark in SEC play.
It takes a special player to pull a program all the way up from rock bottom, but that is exactly what Pippen did for Vandy. Players like Pippen are not found easily in college hoops, and with the transfer portal, loyalty is hard to come by.
Pippen could have left after his freshman season and nobody would have blamed him. However, he chose not to run from the grind. He stuck it out, trusted in Stackhouse, and now exits stage left with Vanderbilt basketball in a healthy place and a career in the NBA ahead of him.
Featured image via Randy Sartin – USA TODAY Sports
