Lakers Draft Prospects: Brandon Ingram on ESPN’s ‘Mike and Mike’
By Eric Yee
Lakers’ draft prospect, Brandon Ingram made the ESPN rounds on Wednesday hitting up ‘Mike and Mike’ and ‘First Take’ on the same day
To get things started, it must be stated that the Los Angeles Lakers are in the perfect situation in terms of the draft. While Philadelphia 76ers thought they won when they got the first overall draft pick, the Lakers may actually be in the better position come draft night.
This is to say, if the Sixers take Ben Simmons, they take Brandon Ingram, and vice versa. However, if the first pick is a flop and the second is a gem, Philadelphia will get bashed, but if the opposite happens, the Lakers are spared because they had “no choice.”
Though it seems unlikely that the latter occurs, because both players look to be future stars in the making, the Sixers’ position leaves much to be desired.
With that out of the way, while on ESPN’s First Take, the first question asked was why Brandon Ingram thought he should be the first overall pick. However, the guys over at Mike and Mike had a different spin on the question, practically asking if it mattered if he went first overall or not.
"At some standpoint you always want to go for a higher goal but I’m just happy to be here. I never thought I would have been here and I’m just happy to get drafted and hear my name being called"
Further, instead of asking what he thought of Ben Simmons as a player a la First Take, they asked whether Ingram could beat him one-on-one.
“Me, as a competitor, of course I would say that.”
More from Lake Show Life
- Darvin Ham adds to Max Christie hype train after Lakers preseason opener
- Is LeBron James playing tonight? Latest Lakers vs Warriors update
- Can Darvin Ham put all of the Lakers puzzle pieces together?
- Lakers news: Darvin Ham knows his fifth starter, LeBron James and Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino praise
- Michael Malone’s painfully ironic comment has Lakers fans heated
Ingram went on to reveal that his freshman year in high school he was 6’2 and “kind of grew like two inches every year,” even growing an inch in college. Considering what has been reported in regards to Devin Booker’s NBA growth spurt, this is another positive sign for prospective teams.
Moreover, similar to Anthony Davis, this could explain Ingram’s guard like abilities seeing that he played every position in high school and at Duke.
When asked what he thinks he’s “prepared for” and where he could have “early success in the NBA,” Ingram’s answer was surprising on some accounts.
"Probably the ability to score. Just knowing that I have knack for scoring and I think me being self driven I can have the determination to get anything I want so… Just going into that league having the ability to score and learn a little bit…"
Seeing how the Lakers were one of the worst teams in terms of scoring efficiency, his scoring would be a welcomed addition to the team.
Next: Brandon Ingram On Why He Should Go First Overall
Again, the Purple and Gold are in a win-win situation, but Ingram sure does look like one of the missing pieces of the puzzle at this point in time.