The Los Angeles Lakers' partnership between LeBron James and Brandon Ingram was intended to pair two capable playmakers reaping off each other as budding mates, but according to one particular league executive, that is a far fetched dream that has yet to come to fruition.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst shared on his appearance on The Hoop Collective that his hopeful partnership has yet to reap any fruits through a small sample size in this young season (h/t Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype).
“There’s an executive (that I have a longterm relationship with) who was a big Brandon Ingram fan when he came out of Duke. [He] told me that he felt he like he was going to be a world-class scorer … The guy was like: ‘It’s not working with LeBron.’ He doesn’t really want to blame Ingram. I think he’s more concerned about where he is with LeBron.”
Ingram came into the league as an unrefined scorer, still needing to hone his jumper and shot selection to reach the ceiling of his scoring capabilities. He soon was put into a playmaker role and flourished as one, developing it over the course of the offseason.
The dynamic between two playmakers who are also able to score has yet to click, as neither James nor Ingram is willing to give up their playmaking ability altogether to become the primary scorer, creating a cluster of confusion and a lack of clear identity on this Lakers roster.
LeBron James is posting his usual numbers as the alpha dog of this team, but Ingram has regressed in his nine games this season, cutting back on his assist totals while being a less effective version of his 2017-18 self.
The partnership might need time to develop, but patience is in short supply in La La Land after Magic Johnson's words of warning to coach Luke Walton and the clear mandate to start winning games early.
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