Los Angeles Lakers: Five players facing make or break seasons

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EL SEGUNDO, CA – SEPTEMBER 25: Brandon Ingram #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers makes fun of a teammate while he poses for photographs with Julius Randle #30 Larry Nance Jr. #7 looking on during media day September 25, 2017, in El Segundo, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

The Los Angeles Lakers have multiple players looking to prove something this season. Here are five players facing make or breaks years.

I’m pumped for the start of the Los Angeles Lakers season, how about you! Lots to be excited about and look forward to. At the same time, there are a lot of subplots to the season with careers and contracts on the line for many on the Lakers squad.

You might even say this year is a make or break season for the Lakers as a whole. After what seems like the dark ages we are hoping for a renaissance and significant improvement in the Lakers overall. While making the playoffs seems unlikely in a loaded western conference, the fans need to see significant improvement and reason for hope!

Let’s take a look at some of the players who are truly facing make or break seasons and talk about what they need to accomplish.

LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 7: Brandon Ingram #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers goes to the basket against the LA Clippers on July 7, 2017 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Brandon Ingram

This isn’t quite the stereotypical make or break season for Ingram but with the expectations that have been placed on him by the Lakers and us as fans, anything short of a major jump this year will be a disappointment.

If the most recent Summer League was an indicator, Lakers fans will not be disappointed. Ingram played only one game but looked dominant from the opening tip and was clearly the best player on the court en route to 26 points and a game-tying shot to force an overtime he wasn’t to play in due to cramps and an abundance of caution.

Ingram’s rookie season was certainly unspectacular as he barely shot 40 percent from the field and was a horrible 29 percent from three-point range in spite of his excellent shooting in college. He finished the season with a miserable -4.7 RPM leaving him as 459 out of 468 NBA players last year. Not what the fans expected from the No. 2 pick.

However, even last season there were encouraging signs as the year progressed. Prior to the All-Star break, Ingram shot a cringe-worthy 36 percent from the field averaging eight points a game. After the break, those stats improved significantly to 47 percent and 13 points.

Most concerning though was his shooting. His free throw percentage (usually considered the best indicator of shooting ability) was only 65 percent for the year. Both that and his three-point percentage were lower after the All-Star break.

For comparison, Kevin Durant, with whom Ingram was initially being compared to, shot only 28 percent from three in his rookie season. That jumped to a career-best 42 percent in his sophomore year. The big difference, though, was Durant’s free throw percentage was 87 percent as a rookie, indicating to all that he could shoot and it was just a matter of time and practice.

This year for Ingram, he needs to show he really does have the ability to shoot from range. His driving game will come along well given his natural abilities but to be a 3-and-D player, let alone a potential All-Star. He must develop a solid outside game or teams will simply lay back on him and dare him to shoot away.

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