The 1993-94 NBA season was a bittersweet year for Chicago Bulls small forward Scottie Pippen. Though they plowed through the season without their ace shooting guard, Michael Jordan, Pip got a chance to lead the team for the first time and showcase his talents.
Pippen asserted himself firmer on the hardcourt. He averaged career-highs in points (22.0), rebounds (8.7), and steals (2.9). He guided the Bulls to an impressive 55-27 record, and critically, Pip finished third in MVP voting behind the San Antonio Spurs’ David Robinson and Houston Rockets’ Hakeem Olajuwon.
Act naturally
Amid all his fresh individual milestones, Pippen reiterated his team-first mentality. Though he had a larger role in the Bulls’ playbook, Scottie never grabbed the opportunity to boost his stock. Being named MVP or winning the scoring title wasn’t his concern.
“I never thought about trying to win MVP,”said Pippen, per nba.com. “I never thought about trying to do things as an individual. That’s just not how I played the game and it wasn’t in my pedigree. I couldn’t have made myself play that way. It never crossed my mind to try and lead the league in scoring. I viewed that as sort of selfish goal and while I did have personal goals, they were to make the All-Defense team or be Defensive Player of the Year.”
Pippen is regarded as one of the best defenders in NBA history. Still, ironically, he never won the Defensive Player of the Year award. He came close in the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons when he finished second. Scottie is also an eight-time NBA All-Defensive First Team member and two-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team.
Rather than set up plays for himself or hog the ball, Pip preferred to get his scoring opportunities within the rhythm of the game. He knew the triangle offense by heart and used this knowledge to hit at the right moments.
“Of course, wanted to be one of the top players in the game, but I wanted to do it within my natural style of play. So I learned to let the game flow to me and stayed away from putting pressure on myself or rushing aspects of my game,” Scottie said.
An important season
The 1993-94 season culminated the Bulls and Pippen’s quest for excellence. Upon trading for the forward in the 1987 NBA Draft, the Bulls remained patient in developing his potential.
Bulls head coach Phil Jackson claimed that the 1990-91 season was the turning point, the year Scottie became a bona fide star. And so he wasn’t stunned by how Pip performed in the 1993-94 season despite bigger responsibilities.
“I certainly did,” said Jackson of Pippen’s game. “I admired it a lot, but I was not surprised. We knew how much Scottie had matured in the 1990-91 season. So we made adjustments to accommodate Scottie’s game and use his talents. It was a springboard that made us a championship team for those three years. We knew what effect he would have in the game and what he could do. We just didn’t know if he was going to be as big of a scorer as he was, but his scoring jumped considerably.”
The 1993-94 season started as a year of adjustments. The team had to tweak their playbooks and learn how to execute without Jordan. Little did they know the season would be the year Pippen thrived as an all-around threat, a sharper weapon they would need to complete another three-peat.