NBA Legend Profiles: Scottie Pippen
With no end in sight of this worldwide quarantine, I thought I’d bring you another NBA legend profile, this time of the player most widely considered to be the best side-kick in NBA history; Scottie Pippen.
Pippen is often underappreciated when it comes to NBA history, mainly because he played behind the greatest player of all time, Michael Jordan. People say that Jordan took him for a ride through the 90s and that the only reason Pippen has six rings is because of MJ.
Obviously no one is saying Pippen is better than Jordan or that Pippen is the reason Jordan got six titles, but I have no doubt that if you replaced Pippen with an average small-forward from the 90s then Jordan would not have six rings, period.
So, like with my first profile which was Hakeem Olajuwon, I am going to briefly describe Pippen’s NBA career, then break down his offensive and defensive record in professional basketball.
NBA Career
After a strong college career at the University of Central Arkansas where in his senior year he averaged 23.6 points and 10.0 rebounds on 59.2% from the floor, Pippen was selected with the 5th pick in the 1987 draft by the Chicago Bulls.
After a lackluster rookie season where he only averaged 7.9 points a game, he became the starting Small-Forward for the Bulls in the 88/89 season. After several more campaigns, the Bulls finally managed to break-through and win the title in 1991, and then proceeded to win two more, completing a three-peat.
Pippen was instrumental for the Bulls during these title-winning runs, highlighted by his 1991/92 season where he averaged 21 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.1 blocks on 50.6% from the floor. He had established himself as a premier player in the league and one of its best defenders.
After the 1993 title, Michael Jordan decided to retire for the first time, leaving Pippen as the best player on the Bulls. Many thought that Scottie would struggle without Jordan to lead the show, but it was exactly the opposite. The 1993/94 Bulls won 55 games that regular season, only two less than the previous campaign and they managed to push the Knicks to 7 games in the Playoffs.
Pippen was third in MVP voting that year, won the All-Star game MVP and was selected to the All-NBA First Team. Jordan returned in 1995 and the Bulls set their sights on more title glory. The 1995/96 season saw the Bulls become the greatest single-season team of all time. They finished with a record of 72-10 and beat the Seattle Supersonics in 6 games to win the NBA Finals. Again, Pippen was vital to the Bull’s success. He earned All-NBA honors through-out the second three-peat and was named to the All-NBA Defensive First team for those years as well.
After completing a second three-peat in 1998, Pippen left the Bulls for Houston before winding down his career in Portland and spending his final season back with the Bulls. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall Fame in 2010 twice, once as a player and the other as a member of the fabled 1992 US Olympic “Dream Team” that won gold in the Barcelona Olympics.
Offense
On offense, Pippen was definitely underrated because he played behind the greatest scorer ever in Michael Jordan. Sure, he was never a great shooter like Reggis Miller or Steve Kerr, but he wasn’t terrible. In 1995/96 Pippen hit 37.4% of his 3-pointers whilst attempting 5.2 per game and the following season he hit 36.8% of them attempting the same amount.
Pippen was lethal in transition. At 6’ 8” 225lbs, he was very athletic and a great finisher on the break. Just ask Patrick Ewing what Pippen could do when given the space. Pippen was also a terrific passer. He was often played as a “point-forward” meaning he would be a primary ball-handler and initiate the offense. Scottie averaged 5.2 assists per game for his career which peaked at 7.0 a game in the 1991/92 season as I mentioned above.
Had Pippen not played on the Bulls behind Jordan and instead had his own franchise for his career I have no doubt Pippen would have averaged around 25 points a game for at least a few seasons.
Defense
There’s no beating about bush here; Scottie Pippen is the greatest perimeter defender in NBA history. Yes, he was better than Jordan, better than Gary Payton, better than LeBron. People forget that in the 1991 Finals vs the Lakers, Jordan was taken off Magic after the Bulls lost Game 1 at home and Pippen was tasked with guarding Magic.
Pippen hounded Magic 94 feet and made it extremely hard for Johnson to be effective. It’s no coincidence that after Pippen started guarding Magic, the Bulls won the next four games, leading them to the franchise’s first title.
Pippen could guard all five positions thanks to his size, weight and his 7’ 3” wingspan. He earnt 8 straight All-NBA Defensive First Team selections from 1992 to 1999 and averaged 2 steals per game for his career.
He was truly the best side-kick you could ask for; an incredible defender, a great playmaker, ran the floor really well and acknowledges that he’s not going to be the star of the show. Pippen will always be underrated by those who don’t appreciate the full package he brought to the court.
Don’t let that be you.