Los Angeles Lakers: Brandon Ingram believes he can average 20 PPG
By Nick Ziegler
Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram believes that 20 points per game isn’t too much to ask.
There is a lot of hype surrounding Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram entering his second season. As the second overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Ingram is certainly a player with a lot of talent.
In his rookie season, Ingram had a lot of struggles early on like most rookies do. However, he became a more aggressive player in the second half of the season, and he saw his scoring rise. Despite the strong second half, Ingram was unable to average in double figures last season.
This offseason, Lakers President Magic Johnson said that he wants Ingram to score 20 points per game. This bold statement raised a lot of eyebrows and a lot of expectations for Ingram. Recently, Ingram talked with Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports and didn’t shy away from being able to accomplish this goal.
"“I don’t think five points a quarter is too much to ask for, at all. With the skill that I have and the ability to score and everything I can do once I get my rhythm back, I think that’s not hard at all.”"
Even though Ingram might not think 20 points per game is too difficult to achieve, it is something that most players in the NBA don’t reach. If Ingram is able to reach this number, it would certainly help the Lakers win more games this season.
However, Ingram making such a big jump in points per game seems a bit unlikely. For Ingram to average 20 points per game, that would mean he would have an unheard of 10 points per game more than last season.
Ingram has worked very hard this offseason to improve his jump shot, which was arguably his biggest weakness in his rookie season. While he did impress in his one game in the Las Vegas Summer League, he struggled in the preseason.
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As clearly a building block for the Lakers, Ingram will have the opportunity to impress this season. However, the 20 points per game might be a long shot goal in his second season.