MEMPHIS — Hey everyone, this is Dan Woike and welcome to The Times Lakers Newsletter, where this week I wanted to focus on a few familiar faces starring in new places.
Let’s get right to it.
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The South Bay Grizzlies
When the Lakers played the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night, they saw a shot-blocking center who can catch lobs and splash threes. They saw a guard willing to harass opposing ballhandlers with a knack for creating offense for himself and others.
They had to be envious of the Grizzlies for having the players off their bench, for having them under contract on the cheap. And they must be wondering, at least a little, how they let these players — Jay Huff and Scotty Pippen Jr. — get away.
“When I was there, I didn’t really have a certainty that I’ll ever play in the NBA. I didn’t really get any minutes; I think I play like maybe five or six games and never really got significant minutes,” Pippen said Wednesday morning. “So being over here has been like a breath of fresh air. I’ve got an opportunity. I’ve got people that believe in me and trust in me.”
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Pippen and Huff had those people with the Lakers too — they were the people in charge of the South Bay Lakers, where both players spent significant time before finding jobs elsewhere around the league.
The Grizzlies, quick to continue the trend, signed former Lakers big Colin Castleton to a two-way deal after L.A. cut him when guard Quincy Olivari won a job in training camp. Their successes speak well of the Lakers’ developmental process in the past while also calling into question the pathways they’ve created for these players to continue with the main roster.
And with the Lakers bench struggling at the start of this season, Wednesday’s game in Memphis was a reminder why the organization has committed to reevaluating its developmental plans for players — plans that also will focus on creating better pathways between the G-League and the main roster.
Huff, a 7-foot-1 center, signed a two-way deal with the Lakers before the 2021 season. He quickly established himself as one of the G-League’s best defensive centers. He returned to the South Bay Lakers after his two-way deal expired and by his second year with the team, his shooting from three-point range had moved above 40%.
But under former coach Frank Vogel, Huff played only four games — scoring no points — on a team that instead relied on Dwight Howard, DeAndre Jordan, LeBron James and, of course, Anthony Davis for minutes at center.
During his second season with South Bay, Huff became the G-League’s defensive player of the year, earning a call-up with Washington.
“It was awesome,” Huff said of his time with South Bay. “When I got my call-up, when I got called up to Washington, I was like, ‘Dang, I don’t really want to leave,’ because everybody was really happy for me. And that group was just really tight-knit. And I’m still close with a lot of those guys to this day.”
Huff went to the Wizards and then last season to Denver before landing in Memphis, where he’s played his way out of his two-way deal and into a four-year standard contract thanks to chances that were never really there for him in L.A.
“When I was there, I think, I had to prepare as though there was [opportunity]. I tried not to even think about it,” Huff said. “Whether there was or wasn’t, I think I was there for a reason.”
In Memphis, Huff got what every player in his situation could want: the right chance at the right time. He’s averaging 9.9 points and making 53.6% from three-point range while playing in every game.
“Timing and situation,” Huff said. “There are guys that are overseas right now that if they were in a different set, different situation, at a different time, they’d be in the NBA right now. … If given the right opportunity, I think there’s a lot of guys like that. Yeah. That’s just how it goes.”
And that’s how it went for Pippen too. As a rookie, he signed a two-way deal with the Lakers but only got minutes in six blowouts. At the same time, he was a dynamic scorer with the South Bay Lakers, though questions about his size at 6 feet 1 limited his ceiling in the eyes of some.
“South Bay was great for my development,” he said. “I was able to go down there, play through my mistakes play with other guys that are playing at this level. So I definitely enjoyed my time. Credit to my coaches, the staff over there, I felt it pretty much prepared me for this.”
An ankle injury slowed him during the summer after his first season and the Lakers used their two-way guard slot on rookie D’Moi Hodge. Pippen stayed with the South Bay Lakers but never cracked the main roster again.
“I don’t think there was really the opportunity. I feel my first year I was open to whatever. But after going to training camp, I feel like I played really well. A lot of coaches and players spoke highly of me. And then, that kind of was it,” he said. “I didn’t really feel like I got a chance and during the season or preseason or anything like that. So I feel like there was no opportunity for me there.”
When the Grizzlies got hit with a wave of significant injuries, they turned to Pippen and that opportunity presented itself.
He ended up playing 21 games with the Grizzlies last season, starting 16, while averaging 12.9 points and 4.7 assists. He was at 11.4 points and 6.8 assists in the first eight games this season and still is carrying a little chip on his shoulder.
“I think I do carry it,” he said. “But at the end of the day, the team was pretty much loaded with a roster full of veteran guys. I’m still appreciative of the Lakers for just giving me an opportunity just to come out after the draft and just be there on a two-way, be there for the whole year. So it’s no hard feelings, but at the same time, definitely keep that chip on my shoulder.”
They both might have had a chip on their shoulder. In Wednesday’s victory by the Grizzlies, Pippen had 14 points, six rebounds and four assists while Huff had 11 points, three rebounds and four assists as they combined to go six of 10 from three-point range.
Song of the week
At the end of this road trip, I found myself in the mood for a good sad song — too many hotel rooms and connecting flights and too many “Good nights” I didn’t get to say to my wife and kids. But nobody said it was easy … kind of like winning on the road in the NBA.
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