Scotty Pippen JR scored 30 points on Saturday, April 26th, as the Memphis Grizzlies faced the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Grizzlies simply had to win, as the Thunder were already 3-0 in the Western Conference First Round Series before the match.
Unfortunately, despite Pippen JR’s best efforts, they still lost two points and were eliminated from the NBA playoffs on early occasions.
He explained why his performance “super meaning” despite his team’s disappointing postseason departure.
Pippen JR is not a famous name in the NBA. This was his first season, with regular spots in the Memphis rotation.
He averaged around 13 points per game in 21 appearances last season, and scored around 10 points per game in 48% shooting from 2024-25.
He solidified himself as a key part of the Grizzlies bench, but recently he has proven he can be more than that.
In games 3 and 4 with the OKC Thunder, Pippen JR notified the league with 28 and 30 points respectively.
After his latest impressive exhibit, he acknowledged that his performance was extremely important to him despite suffering from four consecutive defeats.
“Yeah, that makes a lot of sense,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been working for this forever, so I’m trying to make the most of it to finally get this platform and finally get this opportunity.
“I’m still trying to show everyone I still belong to. I was in the G League last year, so this is really my first NBA season. This definitely makes a dream come true.
Pippen JR stepped up with Ja Morant’s absence. And now, the Grizzlies have an interesting dilemma that they think about this summer.
The 24-year-old has already shown he deserves to start, but it seems unlikely that it will happen alongside Morant and Desmond Bain.
Of course, bench depth is important and Pippen JR could be asked to play a similar role to the Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard, which took place at the Boston Celtics next season.
However, the Grizzlies Guard seems like the type who wants to continue making progress, and this taste of success in the playoffs will probably convince him that he deserves more playing time.