Lakers News: Brandon Ingram receives praise from Kevin Durant
Los Angeles Lakers News: Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant was very complimentary of Brandon Ingram after their matchup Wednesday night.
There has been plenty of Los Angeles Lakers news following their matchup with the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night. Anytime the Warriors are on a team’s schedule it is a big game. They draw huge crowds and always receive the best efforts from opponents looking to knock off the defending champs. Wednesday night was no different.
The Lakers gave the Warriors everything they could handle. While Los Angeles eventually lost 127-123, they opened up a lot of peoples eyes. The young Lakers looked to grow up right in front of your eyes.
It was a performance that may not have resulted in a victory, but there were plenty of positives to take away from it.
Prior to the game, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant both spoke highly of rookie point guard Lonzo Ball. Ball is under immense pressure as the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Both Curry and Durant believe he will turn things around and become a great player.
Ball is not the only former No. 2 overall pick that is on the Lakers and under pressure. Brandon Ingram, the No. 2 overall pick from the 2016 NBA Draft, is also under pressure.
Ingram had a difficult rookie season. Adjusting from life at Duke as a freshman to a rookie with the Lakers was not easy. Ingram put in work during the offseason to improve his sophomore season and things have gone well.
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Ingram looks like a much different player from his rookie season. He is oozing with confidence and the strength he has added has provided him better success driving and finishing at the rim. That was on full display against the Warriors.
Ingram had a career night against Golden State. He poured in a career-high 32 points. What better opponent for it to come against than Durant, the person he has been compared to constantly.
Ingram was 12-of-22 from the field, making both his 3-point attempts and going 6-of-7 from the foul line. He also added five rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks. Ingram matched Durant, who scored 29 on 12-of-25 from the field, including 3-of-7 from deep and 2-of-4 from the foul line.
Durant was impressed with Ingram’s performance and spoke highly of him after the game.
"“All night he made plays, finished over the top, made the [jumpers], made good decisions. As a player playing against him, I hate to see it. But if I was watching on TV, I’d be really excited for him. You can see he’s learning and getting better. He’s growing as a player, and his teammates and coaches believe in him.”"
Durant also noted the change in confidence that Ingram has. He mentioned that Lakers head coach Luke Walton put the ball in Ingram’s hands on the final play of regulation when the Lakers were looking to upset the Warriors.
Durant got to see Ingram during Team USA workouts so he has seen first hand the changes Ingram has made. Ingram’s performance is even more impressive since he did it against one of the best defensive players, Durant, and teams in the NBA.
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Walton praised Ingram’s preparation and performance as well. This could be the game that helps catapult Ingram to the next level. If he is able to perform at that level against a great defensive player and team, imagine what he can do on a nightly basis against lesser opponents.