The Los Angeles Lakers hope to take another step forward during the 2017-18 NBA season with a promising young group of players leading the way.

One player that will be put under the microscope this season is second-year forward Brandon Ingram. Magic Johnson has dubbed Ingram as “untradeable” and the rest of the league may see a lot of the Duke product on highlight reels on a nightly with his confidence reportedly on another level, according to teammate Larry Nance Jr.

“Confidence,” Nance said of Ingram. “Last year, coming into the year, he was a little uncertain. Kind of struggled a little bit at the beginning, but towards the end, his confidence picked up and he started showing what he can do.”

“This summer, the work he put in along with Zu, was incredible. He was in here every single day. In the weight room. On the court. It's really paying off. He kind of taken the role of, ‘I'm the guy. This is my team.'”

As Nance pointed out, Ingram finished his rookie season strong. The former second overall pick played at a very high level to close out the 2016-17 campaign showing a preview of his potential to be a star in the NBA.

If Ingram has truly taken his game to another level, the Lakers could be poised for a breakout season, especially if rookie point guard Lonzo Ball is also able to live up to expectations.

The Lakers are currently gearing up for their first preseason game on Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The team will continue to go through two-a-day practices during training camp leading up to the preseason opener at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.