With Lonzo Ball being one of the most hyped and talked about rookies in recent memory, and co-rookie Kyle Kuzma consistently proving that he is the steal of the past draft, the Los Angeles Lakers' other rising young star, Brandon Ingram, is mostly getting thrown under the shadows of his two teammates.
Not for Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, though. He sang the second-year forward praises in a recent interview with Spectrum SportsNet. Corey Hansford of Lakers Nation quoted Pelinka as saying the following:
Article Continues Below“You know, Brandon Ingram, so there’s a skill, and maybe it’s my own vernacular, but I look at players that can finish above the square. They just have tremendous length to unfold at the basket and almost get up to the top of the square and either dunk it or drop it in. If you look at young players around the league, there’s only a few, the Giannis-type players, the Wiggins, that can really unfold at the basket like Brandon can. So he’s in an elite category. I think clearly the area he’s going to have to develop next is the knock-down shooting. And if he gets that down, it’s scary. He’s a matchup nightmare because he’s a player that can play multiple positions.”
Ingram is still climbing up the ranks of the small forward position, but there's really a lot to be excited about. The 20-year-old is the best scorer on the Lakers' roster, and he will only get better. Beyond the inconsistent jumper, which can be improved soon, the offensive arsenal is pretty vast.
The Lakers are 8-3 in their last 11, with Ingram putting up all-around numbers of 14.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists during that span.