Former Lakers Guard Looking Forward to 'Revenge' Game Against LA

Ricardo Sandoval | 18 Hours Ago

Nov 6, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr. (1) handles the ball as Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent (7) defends during the first half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers will play the Memphis Grizzlies for the second time this season on Wednesday. L.A. lost their first meeting against the Grizzlies last week on the road. 

The Lakers ran out of the gym, losing that contest 131-114. 

L.A. was in the thick of this in the first half, but things started to sputter out of control in the second half, and it was mainly due to the play of former Lakers guard Scotty Pippen Jr.

Pippen was exceptional in his 26 minutes of action in that game, recording 14 points on 55 percent shooting from the field, six rebounds, four assists, one block, and one steal. 

Pippen took the matchup personally, and that's no different as he is set to play his former team on Wednesday.

Pippen told Mark Medina of Sportskeeda that he is looking forward to playing L.A. and has had this matchup 'circled in his calendar.'

“I definitely circled it on the calendar. 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 2023-23 season. He started the 2023-24 season with the team's G League, the South Bay Lakers. 

However, Pippen then signed a two-way deal with the Grizzlies in January and ultimately signed a four-year contract with the team in October. 

Pippen is showing he is an NBA-caliber player, and he says the biggest reason for that is his clarity, something he didn't with the Lakers. 

"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."

The 24-year-old has been impressive, averaging 12.1 points and 6.5 assists while shooting 52.1 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from three-point range. 

Memphis will be without their superstar Ja Morant for some time, meaning that Pippen will be given a larger leash, and L.A. could have their hands full with the former Laker. 

He will want to play well in front of the L.A. fans, and based on what we saw from his last game, he could heat up quickly. 

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