The Los Angeles Lakers have announced that they have requested to waive three players, guards Scotty Pippen Jr., and Damion Baugh along with forward Vincent Valerio-Bodon. All three players were signed on September 7th 2023. While they were all given a chance to show their skills at the recent preseason game with the Milwaukee Bucks, it seems like they failed to impress the officials. 

Disappointing performances which led to the axing

Pippen Jr. received the most playing time of the three players. Yet he struggled, shooting just 2-for-9 from the field. The 22 year old finished the game with nine points, four rebounds, six assists, three steals and three turnovers.

Both Valerio-Bodon and Baugh also displayed disappointing performances. The former recorded two rebounds and one block in 5.0 minutes. And Baugh collected just one rebound in his play time of 5.5 minutes. 

Junior’s entry into NBA

The eldest son of former NBA star Scottie Pippen played college basketball for Vanderbilt University. As a freshman, Pippen averaged 12 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, earning Southeastern Conference (SEC) All-Freshman Team honors. In his junior year, he averaged 20.4 points, 4.5 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game. He was named to the First Team All-SEC as a junior. On April 18, 2022, Pippen declared for the 2022 NBA draft. 

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After going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, Pippen Jr. signed a two-way contract with the Lakers. As part of it, he played for their G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers and later joined Los Angeles for the 2022 NBA Summer League. Pippen scored fourteen points, six rebounds, three assists, and a block in a 100–66 win over the Miami Heat in his Summer League debut.

With his short time with the team, the young guard has shown great potential, his flashes of brilliance were not enough to keep his job. His performance was marred by inconsistencies. As the Lakers prepare for the tough season ahead, it looks like they are making a lot of moves to improve the line-up. And these cuts are crucial in their campaign to bring home the championship once again. Only with the strongest team can they increase their chances at winning the title. 

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