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Los Angeles Lakers: Brandon Ingram cleared to play

By Kenneth Teape

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 02: Brandon Ingram #14 dribbles past Julius Randle #30 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Wilson Chandler #21 of the Denver Nuggets during the first half of a preseason game at Staples Center on October 2, 2017 in Los Angeles, 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 Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 02: Brandon Ingram #14 dribbles past Julius Randle #30 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Wilson Chandler #21 of the Denver Nuggets during the first half of a preseason game at Staples Center on October 2, 2017 in Los Angeles, 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 Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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Los Angeles Lakers small forward Brandon Ingram has been cleared for Sunday’s game against the Sacramento Kings.

Los Angeles Lakers small forward Brandon Ingram has some high expectations heading into his second season in the NBA. The Lakers are hoping on Ingram making a second-year jump, and have plenty of reason to believe it will happen.

While Ingram’s rookie season wasn’t great as a whole, it improved after the All-Star break. The Lakers are hoping that carries over into his second season, and it looked like it was during the Las Vegas Summer League.

Ingram put in a lot of work in the offseason, and the Summer League was the first time he was able to showcase it. Ingram played in only the first game, but he was the best player on the court scoring 26 points.

Ingram worked hard on expanding his offensive game, and it showed. His jump shot was much improved, which he was praised for. He had some intense workouts and took things a step further by revamping his diet as well in hopes of his production improving on the court.

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However, things have not yet translated for Ingram to the preseason. The Lakers were hoping to see Ingram be more aggressive, which he has been. It has not resulted in great production on the court, however.

Ingram has not been able to get his shot to fall thus far this preseason. To make matter worse, he also suffered an injury in the second preseason game against the Denver Nuggets. Ingram suffered a head contusion in the game and was held out of the third preseason game, which was also against the Nuggets.

Thankfully, the injury does not seem to be a serious one. According to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winter, Ingram is ready to return to the court after a short absence.

The sample size has been a small one, but Ingram is making only 29.2 percent of his shots from the field, scoring 9.5 points per game with 4.0 rebounds. With him being cleared according to Luke Walton, and listed as probable, there is a good chance he suits up Sunday night against the Sacramento Kings and looks to improve on those numbers.

If Ingram is feeling any worse, you can be sure the Lakers will hold him out. The Lakers will be relying on Ingram a lot during the regular season, so they are not going to push him for a meaningless preseason game.

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The Lakers would love to get their first preseason win of the year, and having it come against one of their rivals would make it that much better. However, there is no reason to rush Ingram if he is not 100 percent ready to play, especially with the regular season rapidly approaching.

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