Lakers No. 2 pick Brandon Ingram will start against the New York Knicks tonight over a healthy Luol Deng, according to reports.
The youth movement is underway in Los Angeles. According to Bill Oram of the OC Register, rookie Brandon Ingram will start in place of Luol Deng.
Hearing that Brandon Ingram will slide into starting 5 tonight. Unclear in whose spot, but logical conclusion would be struggling Luol Deng.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) February 6, 2017
Ingram has started 14 games this year, however, this is the first time that it has not been because of an injury. Instead, this is likely head coach Luke Walton using the remainder of the season to develop the Lakers young core. Walton told reporters last week after practice that above all things, this season was about the Lakers’ youth movement.
“The further we get away from actually having a chance to make the playoffs, then the more you got to really start to put some thought and focus on developing the young guys even more,” Walton said. “Right now, obviously that’s a huge part of what the season is about, and as it goes, there’s a chance that you’ll see the minutes from those young, young guys go up even more.”
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Ingram already leads the 2016 draft class in minutes played per game (27.7) so this will be less about playing time, and more about getting some run in the with D’Angelo Russell and the Lakers first unit.
In his 14 games as a starter, Ingram has averaged 10 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Of those 14 games, the Lakers only won two.
Ingram isn’t the only one seeing an increase in playing time. Through the last five games, Russell leads the Lakers in minutes played, logging in 32.6 minutes per game. The results have been everything fans could have hoped for.
D'Angelo Russell since returning from injury:
— Lake Show Life (@TheLakeShowLife) February 4, 2017
19.7 points, 9 assists and 6.7 rebounds in 32.6 per game.
Hopefully, fans get similar results with Ingram. In a way, a new era in Los Angeles starts today. Now we just need to get Ivica Zubac in the starting lineup.
Next: Is this Laker getting shipped to Cleveland?
But what do you guys think? Is Ingram ready for the starting spot? Is Luol Deng the better option? Let us know in the comments below or shoot us something @TheLakeShowLife on Twitter.