Zeke said Hill’s ceiling was much higher than Pippen’s.
During one of the episodes of Open Court, the crew of legends talked about building their 1990s starting five. When it was time to name the decade’s top small forward, the discussion narrowed down to Scottie Pippen and Grant Hill.
Pippen was Michael Jordan’s sidekick in Chicago, helping him turn the Bulls into a dynasty. Meanwhile, Hill was the charismatic high-flyer who has been compared to MJ ever since he entered the league.
Coincidentally, Grant was on the show, and he explained his take on the matter.
“I had a great six years,” said Hill. “But I think I didn’t win, and I didn’t have, you know…We’re judged—as Reggie said earlier—on postseason, and I didn’t have great success in the 90s in the postseason. So you know, if that’s part of the criteria, then yeah, Scottie gets it. But head up, my numbers were, you know…”
Good numbers, no playoff success
Hill was the Detroit Pistons’ third overall pick in the 1994 Draft out of Duke. He was the 1995 co-Rookie of the Year winner, averaging 20.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 6.5 assists up to the 1998-99 season.
Meanwhile, Pippen averaged 17.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game during his 12 seasons with the Bulls. He also put up 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game in his lone season with the Houston Rockets.
However, while Pip’s numbers were inferior to Hill’s, he played on a team that won six NBA championships during eight years from 1991 to 1998. On the other hand, Hill’s Pistons made the playoffs four times during the decade but never made it out of the first round.
Zeke says it’s not just about numbers and rings
After Grant made a modest assessment of himself, Isiah Thomas stepped in to make his argument for the former Duke star. According to Zeke, Hill was more than just a great basketball player during that time; he was anointed as the heir to Jordan’s throne when Mike retired to play baseball.
“Let’s acknowledge on the real who this guy really is sitting here because when Jordan was retiring and Grant Hill was coming into the league, we were talking about passing the mantle to you. Scottie Pippen can’t carry the league. Jordan carried the league; we’re talking about a guy like yourself carrying the league. You can’t sit there and be like, ‘Oh well, you know Scottie…” added Thomas.
There’s no question that Hill was touted as the next face of the next big thing—he also played like it. Unfortunately, Grant was unable to prove it because of injuries.
Meanwhile, Pippen was never close to becoming the face of the league and was hardly a 1A player throughout his career. However, with his ability and availability, Scottie may have been the better player between the two.