NBA Comparison: Eddie House

Strengths: A 6’1 180 combo guard with solid quickness and length (6’5 wingspan)…A crafty, aggressive scoring guard (20.4 ppg over the past 2 seasons) who excelled at getting to the paint at the college level…Good ball-handling skills, sets up defenders well with his initial moves and provides constant pressure as an isolation scorer…Was a prolific pick-and-roll scoring threat at Vandy as well, and had very few problems creating offense for himself when bigger frontcourt players switched onto him…Uses hesitation dribbles to freeze defenders and get a step, and good things tend to happen when he gets defenders on his hip…A master at using fakes and drawing contact to get to the FT line (lead the nation in FT attempts as a Jr with over 8 per game, career 7.6 FTA per game at 76%)…Clever around the rim; where his footwork, ball-fakes and ability to use the rim to shield his shots from shot blockers made him more effective than his physical tools may suggest…Adequate touch and range on his shot…Has a developing jumper off the bounce and mid-range game, which will only add to his scoring arsenal…Shoots passing lanes and has the active hands, anticipation and low center of gravity to be an effective ball thief and defensive pest (nearly 2 spg in each of the last 2 seasons)…Was utilized similarly to a free safety in football in Vandy’s defense; often being unleashed to roam and look to force turnovers as a help defender to maximize his strong anticipatory skills and quick hands…High basketball IQ and has displayed the type of instincts, attention to detail and timing on both ends of the court that cant always be taught…Likes to score first but had some moments feeding open teammates when the defense collapsed to him (4.6 apg as a Jr)…Has more toughness and strength than he’s given credit for, doesn’t shy away from contact and physical play…An overachiever despite his bloodlines; was lightly recruited out of HS but was a Day 1 starter and quickly became a very productive player in the SEC…Has some makings of a rotational spark plug/instant offense type, and could benefit from the floor spacing at the pro level …

Weaknesses: Physical and athletic profile are mediocre at best for a guard prospect by NBA standards…Has a thin frame that may struggle to add more weight and muscle…Mostly plays below the rim and wasn’t great at efficiently converting shots at the rim in college (45 FG% inside the arc for his career)…Ball dominant player in college who can dribble too much and become turnover prone (career 3.2 topg)…Not a natural playmaker for others, mostly passes as a last resort…More comfortable scoring out of the pick and roll than facilitating…Can be smothered by defenders collapsing on him and forced into bad passes…Not bad shooting 3-point percentages in college (career 34% on 4.5 3PA a game), but is pretty streaky with it and has a slower release speed that is affected by contests…Not a major threat shooting off the dribble and teams will dive his screens and dare him to make shots to earn their respect…Shot selection can be spotty; is not always in rhythm getting into his jumper and sometimes wastes possessions trying to bait foul calls (career 41 FG%)…More of a gambler on defense than a legit presence, had his fair share of struggles denying dribble penetration in his career as a half court defender…Could struggle defensively with some of the bigger guards the NBA has to offer…Won’t have as much of a green light in the pros as he had in college, will have to adjust to playing without the ball…Older prospect who would be 22 at the start of his rookie season, leaving questions about his upside to improve in some key areas of his game (mainly his frame and shooting consistency) …

Overall: Scotty Pippen Jr has had an interesting ascension into an NBA Draft prospect…He was a productive HS player from California but was a lightly recruited prospect with few high-major offers despite being the son of NBA royalty with the same name…He would eventually sign to Vanderbilt with Bryce Drew and honor his commitment after the coaching change and hiring of Jerry Stackhouse in 2019…He was a Day 1 starter and All-SEC Freshman team performer before emerging as one of the most productive scorers in the country his last 2 seasons…He was a match up nightmare with his knack for getting to the paint and FT line, and has plus instincts and aggressiveness on both ends of the court that he uses to his advantage to maximize his ability…Still, he needs to improve his overall playmaking skills and show he can hit shots when teams dare him to make jumpers, as well as prove he can be more than just a ball hawk on defense and hold his own individually…All things considered it is hard to ignore his productivity and experience, and you have to take into account some parts of his game that are called into question coincide with the heavy role he shouldered on a Vandy team that didnt have much shot creation other than him…Pippen Jr. has flaws but some of his best skills aren’t easily taught and he could benefit from less responsibility and more room to operate at the next level…He could hear his name called in the 2nd round and he will have chances to make a team and could potentially be a sparkplug or instant offense type of player if things work out well …

Notes: Measured 6’0.5” barefoot, 6’1.75” in shoes, 8’3.0” standing reach, 176.2 lbs, and 6’5.5” wingspan at the 2021 NBA G-League Elite Camp … Measured: 6’0.0” barefoot, 6’1.5” in shoes, 7’11.5” standing reach, 180 lbs, 6’5.75” wingspan at the 2022 NBA Draft Combine …

Jorrye Nixon 6/12/22