Scotty Pippen Jr.

Breakout campaigns and feelgood stories are etched into the NBA’s season-by-season fabric, and on 2024-25’s list of great examples, Scotty Pippen Jr.’s single-year graduation from G League contributor to 30-point postseason producer likely settles somewhere along the top. Free to expand the limits of his game with the Memphis Grizzlies’ All-Star captain sidelined, Pippen unlatches himself of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s defense during a baseline dribble handoff, ultimately finding himself uncovered atop the 3-point arc. 23 points into his already-fruitful postseason breakout, Pippen cashes in on a friendly bounce, keeping Memphis’ season-saving hopes in play. Later describing April 26, 2025’s showcase to be the type he’d been “working for his whole life,” Pippen was slowed only by foul trouble during Memphis’ valiant elimination defeat. Quietly the Grizzlies’ No. 1 scorer over the four-game stretch, Pippen closed Year Three with 30 points on noteworthy efficiency overall (9-of-21) and from the charity stripe (10-of-10), alongside 11 rebounds, four assists, and two triples.