The Memphis Grizzlies handed the Milwaukee Bucks their fourth loss of the season Thursday night, dropping them to a surprising 1-4 in a game that was never really close. Ja Morant put up a triple-double, as six other Grizzlies players finished with double figures in scoring. Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo's 37 points weren't nearly enough to carry the Bucks on his own, as Damian Lillard struggled heavily by posting just four points on 1 of 12 from the floor.
Lillard was defended by Scotty Pippen Jr. for most of the evening and struggled as the third-year player did a great job of keeping the All-Star guard in check. After the game, Pippen Jr. was asked if he took the matchup against Lillard personally, to which he responded "definitely," while also sharing, "One of the coaches over there didn't believe in me, so I definitely wanted to show I can play some defense."
One look at the list of Bucks coaches and it becomes pretty obvious who Pippen was calling out: former Lakers coach Darvin Ham. Pippen spent his rookie season with the Lakers on a two-way deal when Ham was in his first year as a head coach in L.A. Pippen appeared in just six games with the team, and was then waived right before the start of the 2023-24 season. He then signed a two-way deal with the Grizzlies in January 2024, and got significant playing time on a Memphis team that dealt with significant injuries to several key players last season.
In a way, it was the perfect situation for Pippen to prove his worth, and he did just. He's averaged just shy of 13 points on 49.3% from the field in 21 games with Memphis. He showed the Grizzlies enough to be converted from a two-way contract to a regular contract prior to the start of this season and has appeared in all five games so far while averaging 24 minutes a game.
Pippen's been a valuable piece off the bench for the Grizzlies, scoring in double figures on incredibly efficient numbers in three of the five games this season. The way he's been playing makes you wonder how much of an impact he could've had on the Lakers three years ago as a perimeter defender when he was on the team. Clearly, Pippen feels he could've been effective, and while he didn't call Ham out by name, it's safe to assume that's who he's talking about.
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