NBA Draft: Too-Early NBA Rookie of the Year Power Rankings
4. Brandon Ingram, SF — No. 2 Pick, Los Angeles Lakers
Lakers fans might be a bit surprised to see their newest prized possession not even make it into the top-3 of these initial NBA Rookie of the Year rankings, but I promise you that it won’t look as bad as it may right now very shortly. Moreover, Lakers fans shouldn’t look at this as a slight on Ingram by any measure.
More from Lake Show Life
- Lakers’ current projected closing lineup is sickening
- Lakers’ best-case starting 5 in 2022-23 without Kyrie Irving
- Should the Lakers make any of these ‘brutal’ proposed Westbrook trades?
- Mike James takes shots at Steph Curry in favor of Lakers’ LeBron James
- Ryen Russillo sums up Lakers’ Russell Westbrook problem perfectly
When you look at the 2016 NBA Draft, it was clear for quite some time that Ingram and Ben Simmons were the two best prospects in the draft. In terms of what they can do right now with their skill sets, their size and athleticism, and then their upside, there are no players that offer the package that those two players do. And that remains the case even after Ingram’s been taken at No. 2 by Los Angeles.
However, Ingram still has growth left to do before he is that player. He obviously has the normal learning curve of picking up the speed of the NBA game, but also needs to put on more muscle to be able to physically withstand the rigors of the league. He also could stand to further fine tune some of his skills, particularly on the defensive end of the floor.
On top of all of this, there are a lot of young cooks in the kitchen for the Lakers that are going to need their time to shine. You’ve got to keep D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, and (assumedly) Jordan Clarkson happy in addition to Ingram, which could ultimately hurt his production. I still believe he’ll be a star, but i don’t think it happens overnight in LA.
Next: No. 3 Ben Simmons