While the NBA Draft took place last night, a lot of players logically stayed on the floor. This is particularly the case of Shareef O’Neal and Scotty Pippen Jr, sons of Shaq and Michael Jordan’s lieutenant in the Bulls. Coincidentally (or not), the two men were offered a second chance by the Los Angeles Lakers.
They were impatiently awaiting the Draft ceremony, hoping to be cited among the 58 names selected for this year. Unfortunately for them, Shareef O’Neal and Scotty Pippen Jr. will not have this honor. Still, the two boys with legendary names may not have completely said “goodbye” to their NBA dreams. In the aftermath of the ceremony, they were invited by the Lakers to join them temporarily. Not so surprising, since we know that the Purple and Gold were interested in Shareef O’Neal. They had already called him for a workout two weeks ago, just to be able to better judge his qualities with the ball in hand. An appointment during which the son of Shaq obviously did not convince since he was not selected last night by the Lakers, who nevertheless had the 35th choice. Nevertheless, the Angelinos opened the door by offering Shareef to join them for the Summer League. After a fairly anonymous university course and a failure in the Draft therefore, O’Neal has an interest in showing himself if he wants to extend his adventure in California.
Shareef O’Neal has agreed to play in NBA Summer League with the Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Another O’Neal big man in a Lakers uniform.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 24, 2022
On the side of Scotty Pippen Jr., the situation is a little different. It must be said that the son of MJ’s sidekick was rather a hit in college. In a leading scoring role, he progressed well during his three years at Vanderbilt University and is coming off a season with 20.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists. But his age (22 years) and his small size (1m85) must have cooled the managements who were considering taking him. No worries, the Lakers therefore take the opportunity to recover a second big name, but which offers more certainty compared to Shareef O’Neal. So it goes on a two-way contract for Scotty, who will give the Californians the opportunity to test him in both the G League and the NBA (Note that the Raptors did the same with Ron Harper Jr., another son who has basketball in his blood). The boy has talent and we would not be surprised to see this opportunity turn into a more stable contract during the season if the performances follow. In any case, Shareef O’Neal and Scotty Pippen Jr will have the opportunity to talk about skills this summer during the Summer Leagues. They will have to seize their chance fully if they want to be on the adventure with LeBron James and company.
Vanderbilt guard Scotty Pippen Jr. has agreed to a two-way NBA contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 24, 2022
Not being selected in the Draft is not necessarily a failure and every year we see players snubbed at the ceremony at the end of June to find a place in the Great League thanks to the Summer Leagues, passages in the G League or short contracts. The two guys in question already have a respected name in the League, it’s time for them to prove that they have the talent to go with it too.
Source : The Athletic
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