Lakers Draft Prospects: Brandon Ingram Breakdown

Defense

Ingram’s physical traits again come into play when talking about his prospects on the defensive end of the floor. The Duke forward has the length to defend forwards closer to the block, but his quickness, athleticism, and activity also allow him to make plays on the perimeter when he’s defending out on the wings.

Moreover, Ingram’s athleticism also allows him to be a playmaker in correlation with his length. His physical tools and effort as a defender allow him to recover quickly in help defense and recover quickly off of hedges, which can result in offenses being forced to reset or even in blocked shots leading to transition offense:

Going beyond just that, Ingram is one of the rare cases that you see in young players that is eager to defend. Even just coming out of high school, the forward out of Kinston, NC said to many scouts that he loved to defend and get his hands on the ball on the defensive end and use his length to his advantage on that end of the floor. That’s a special trait that can’t be discounted.

Nothing like beating a dead horse, but Ingram’s lack of bulk is again a drawback to his defensive capabilities. Stronger forwards at the NBA level would have virtually no problem backing down the 190-pound onto the block and essentially having their way. While Ingram’s length would help compensate for that to a certain degree, it’s still something that again needs improvement as the Blue Devils freshman makes the jump to the next level.

Next: Mental Profile