Dusty May didn't waste time securing his first HS commitment as Michigan's leading man, as Justin Pippen pledged to the Wolverines today. This is a nice pickup given how late in the cycle May came to Ann Arbor in tandem with an extremely small pool of available HS prospects. 

GURU RANKINGS

247 is the most bullish on Pippen, placing him just outside the top 60. Rivals essentially concurs with the national standing, slotting him top-75 in their most recent rankings update. On3 and ESPN are a bit lower on Justin, as they both go with what amounts to a 100-150 ranking. There is  consensus in terms of size, as all services agree on 6'3 and 180 pounds.

I have no basis for ranking any individual in the 2024 class, as I haven't seen enough of those prospects to have an informed opinion. But from a holistic perspective across years, I'd likely lean toward On3 's take here. Pippen has the look of a kid you typically see in that 100-125 range. Admittedly though, the distinction between 60 and 125 is nearly moot these days, so I'm not sure it matters functionally. 

SCOUTING

Though I have sifted through full-game film, I have not evaluated Justin Pippen live. As someone that has scouted professionally for years, multiple live viewings always generate the most informed evals, so caveats apply and my word is certainly not gospel here. With that out of the way, let's get into it.

First and foremost, Pippen is a perimeter shotmaker with legit range. The shot mechanics are very good, with superb balance and nice arc. Justin isn't restricted to stationary shooting, as he knocks down jumpers via pull-ups from midrange and distance with some regularity. From an evaluation/projection perspective, the fact that he maintains excellent balance on the pull-up attempts is really enticing. There is almost zero unnecessary motion and he nearly lands in the identical spot of the initial elevation. 

[After THE JUMP: the full scouting report]

From a physical perspective, Pippen grades out as an average athlete. There's solid size for a college guard at 6'3 and what appears to be good length, but the agility isn't where it needs to be and he's definitely working with a strength deficit. Justin is a solid run + jump athlete in the open court and that shows on film. In short, Pippen can flash some nice athletic traits when he has a runway, but the acceleration/deceleration and sheer top-end speed in half-court scenarios isn't going to wow you. 

As a shot-creator, Justin is more scoring guard than playmaker-for-others at this stage of development. Whether its the ballscreen game or isolations, he's looking to put the ball in the basket as a first option. Pippen isn't shifty and doesn't change direction with a live-dribble particularly well. The handle is sufficient, but his go-to more often than not is a simple hesi + go in a straight line with the right hand. That said, Justin does flash some ability to collapse the defense and find teammates on dumpoffs and kickouts. It's more of a secondary trait right now, but there's enough there to suggest it will become a bigger part of his repertoire down the road. 

Though his frame is slight right now, Pippen does embrace contact fairly well as a finisher. He gets into the chest of the defender to negate shotblocking and displays some nice body-control/core-balance when doing so. He'll undoubtedly put on at least 20 pounds of muscle mass in the coming years and this bodes well for a lunch pail conference like the B10. 

On the other end the court, Justin isn't tasked with being a primary POA defender for Sierra Canyon, nor is he disruptive jumping passing lanes/generating TOs. This correlates with the relative lack of agility and strength. But the length coupled with solid positional size is intriguing. More on that later.

247 labels Pippen a three-level scorer that needs physical development:

Pippen is a dynamic combo-guard that has bloomed late in his high school career, much like his brother and father. He's grown nearly two inches in the last eight months while also continuing to improve and expand his skillset as both a scorer and playmaker.

Pippen is a naturally talented guard with good instincts for the game. He is very comfortable with the ball in his hands to score from all three levels and also set the tables for those around him. As he continues to grow and fill out his frame, Pippen can become a highly impactful high-major guard, much like his brother did at Vanderbilt before him.

On3 likes the length, aggression and upside while noting the need for improvement in terms of shot selection:

Justin Pippen is an aggressive guard. He has a good frame, growing to the 6-3, 6-4 range with long arms and a projectable build. He is comfortable on or off the ball. Pippen aggressively touches the paint in the half court and finishes well at and above the rim. The jump shot is becoming a weapon as he continues to learn his shot selection. Pippen will need to continue working on the footwork and angles to help get to his spots. Simplifying his game, working on decision making as he enters a college offense is a next step as well. Pippen is a late bloomer, having grown a few inches over the last year. He was a focal point of his high school’s offense for the first time this season and proved up to the task at Sierra Canyon/CA. Pippen’s game continues to improve and he is on a clear upward trajectory. He has defensive upside, guarding on and off the ball with purpose. He is the son of NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen.

Rivals is more enamored with the athletic traits and ability to play on and off the ball:

A late bloomer in a similar way to his famous father, Pippen emerged as a major prospect just this year. The athletic combo guard has polished his skill set over the past year, becoming a more reliable ball handler and shooter.

These days, Pippen looks like a prospect capable of playing on ball or off and has an impressive wingspan that allows him to play even bigger than his 6-foot-3 frame on the defensive end.

OFFERS

After a recent growth spurt, Pippen was a late riser that ultimately chose Michigan over Cal, Stanford, Georgia Tech and Texas A&M. 

HIGH SCHOOL

Sierra Canyon (CA) is one of the better programs in all of California and consistently pumps out high-major D1 prospects. The list of alums includes current NBA players such as Marvin Bagley, Zaire Williams, Ace Bailey, Brandon Boston and Scottie Pippen Jr. (brother of Justin). SC isn't quite NIBC powerhouse level,  but they do play 5-10 games per year against stacked competition. 

STATS

Averaged 16.5 points, 4.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game as a senior with Sierra Canyon. 

VIDEO

Game Highlights (1/26/2024) against Sherman Oaks Notre Dame featuring D1 prospects in Mercy Miller (son of Master P!), Jayden Harper and Lino Mark. 

Senior Year HS Highlights - UM Hoops

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

Justin isn't going to see a lot of action as a freshman. Michigan is the current leader for Auburn transfer Tre Donaldson and is also in the mix for FAU transfer Johnell Davis and Donaldson's former teammate, Aden Holloway. In short, at least one of those three gents will be soaking up 30+ minutes per game as the on-ball option while another incoming transfer + George Washington will seize another 30+ for the off-ball spot. And that is for the best in terms of Pippen's development. He needs to utilize the freshman year to add strength/muscle mass and improve his overall agility. Year two may see him take on a sizeable bench role depending on stay/go decisions from the remainder of the roster.

If everything goes according to plan (that might be a reach in the portal era), expect Justin to take on a more prominent role as a junior, where he'll be a valuable floorspacer that also handles some on-ball duties given his pull-up prowess. Don't think it's out of the question for Pippen to be a double digit scorer that shoots 36+ from distance at that juncture. Particularly playing for a coach in Dusty May that plays three-guard lineups at times. 

Justin doesn't possess the quick-twitch athletic abilities that his brother Scottie Jr. does, and so that does limit some of the upside. So the most viable way for Justin to optimize his ability will likely come via improvement as a ballhandler/shot-creator/playmaker for others. That facet of his game will likely determine whether he's a high-volume on-ball type with potential to be an all-conference player as an upperclassmen or a floor-raising shooter/scorer that provides valuable spacing + shotmaking.

I am particularly intrigued with the defensive upside here though. Pippen doesn't necessarily move great, but the length is noticeable in tandem with a 6'3 frame that can easily add another 25 pounds without losing agility. There are some similarities there to Nimari Burnett, who may have been Michigan's only above-average defender in the backcourt last season. While Justin is far behind Burnett in terms of physical development at the same stage, his size/length combination makes it feasible to see a similar impact defensively down the road. Particularly in the B10 conference, where guard talent isn't overwhelming to say the least. 

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

I'm not even going to pretend this section is relevant at this point. We're in year 1 of a new regime that has at least 7 roster spots to fill. There will be a plethora of incoming transfers in the coming weeks and perhaps another addition via the HS path. Nobody knows exactly how this will shake out given how wide the pool has been for Dusty May as he tries to scrap together a respectable team in his first year at the healm.