Player Profile
Pippen was renowned for his defensive abilities, having made the NBA All Defensive Team ten consecutive years during his career and leading the league in steals in 1994–95. Phil Jackson once described him as a "one-man wrecking crew", capable of guarding anyone from the point guard to the center position. Pippen is one of three NBA players to record 200 steals and 100 blocks in a season, and he also has the record for most career steals in the playoffs (395). He was skilled at staying in front of his man on defense, and particularly effective as a help defender, with his long arms in traps. He was also capable of making come-from-behind blocks.
On offense, Pippen relied primarily upon his remarkable athleticism to gain an advantage towards the basket and slashed towards the basket for higher percentage shots. Early in his career, particularly, Pippen was not an adept jump shooter, and struggled when shooting directly on a line to the basket. He favored shooting his jump shots on angles, such as along the free throw line extended (to the right and left of the elbows of the free throw lane), such that he could bank the ball off the backboard into the basket. He honed this shot over the course of his career and became more effective at scoring from distance late in his career.
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