1. D’Angelo Russell will average 18 points 7 assists and 6 rebounds
This one seems possible but at the same time, you never know with D’Angelo Russell. Every time the Lakers play you don’t know which number one is going to show up. In the last game before the break, Russell scored 21 points while adding four assists and four rebounds to his stat line.
Russell should be able to post this stat line at will because of his size and his remarkable vision. Over the past couple weeks, we’ve seen Russell take steps forward in his passing ability, getting double-digit assists for the first time in his career. The key to him being able to put these numbers up is consistency. He needs to consistently keep his head in the game whether they’re up by three or down by 20.
2. Brandon Ingram will stay in the starting lineup and average over 15 points
In the last week, we finally saw coach Luke Walton move Brandon Ingram into the starting lineup over Luol Deng, which was in the back of a lot of Laker fans minds. Now that Ingram is in the starting lineup with Russell, Ingram should benefit from Russell’s passing ability and get some easy points.
Coming out of Duke Ingram was widely regarded as the best scorer in the draft, but throughout the first half of the season, his field goal percentage is 36 percent. That is not something anyone thought he’d struggle with because he showed such a fluid stroke in college.
We’ve seen Ingram miss open three after open three but I have a feeling that he’ll finally start figuring things out after All-Star weekend and show off his scoring ability.