After an ugly nine-game losing streak, the Los Angeles Lakers appear to have gotten back on track with the team winning three straight including an impressive victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night at the Staples Center.
Part of the team's success can be attributed to the return of rookie Lonzo Ball who was battling a shoulder strain forcing him to miss five games. Another factor is Brandon Ingram starting to hit his stride once again with the second-year forward having a solid performance against the Spurs scoring a game-high 26 points.
After Thursday's game, Ball talked about Ingram's play and how the team leans on the Duke product on the offensive end of the basketball floor.
“He pretty much is the offense,” Ball said of Ingram. “We give him the ball and get out of the way, and we know that it is going to be a bucket. He scores pretty easily, and that is his game.”
Larry Nance Jr. also chimed in on Ingram and the impact he has on the team when he's got it rolling offensively. Nance also had a solid night finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench while also adding yet another dunk for the highlight reels.
“It opens everything up,” Nance said of Ingram's play. “When B.I. is driving to the paint, it opens it up for our shooters on the outside, KCP and Brook [Lopez]. So when he does that, we are tough to defend. If you attack on him, he kicks it out, so you have to show out, then I am down there to dunk all the time and people forget about me. So there are a lot of different weapons.”
Head coach Luke Walton also talked about Ingram's impact on the offense and how he's not just a scorer. Walton praises Ingram's playmaking as well as his ability to light up the scoreboard on a nightly basis.
“We want Brandon to play the game as it comes to him,” Walton said. “There's some people that are straight scorers. [and] Brandon is not one of them. He's a player that can score a lot, but he's also a very good playmaker. The way he can handle pick and rolls, his vision on the court, we want him taking what the defense gives him. If obviously in some games as he continues to grow as a young player, that requires him to take over by scoring, then do that. But to say, ‘Every night want y0u to come out and take 21 shots,' no, that's not what we're looking for, but there will definitely be nights when that happens.”
Ingram is currently averaging 16.4 points per game which is right behind the team's leading scorer, Kyle Kuzma (16.7). Although the 20-year-old still needs to work on a lot of aspects of his game, he's trending in the right direction as the Lakers continue to see a potential star in the making.
With the longest homestand now in the books, the Lakers will embark on a three-game road trip. Ingram and company will try to make it four in a row as they take on Dirk Nowitzki's Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.
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