– Brandon Ingram
With the Lakers being short-handed, more pressure will fall on to the shoulders of Brandon Ingram. As an emerging young star for the Lakers, Los Angeles could certainly use a big game from Ingram at home on Friday night.
In his first game back from his sprained ankle against the Thunder, Ingram was one of the many Lakers to have a tough night. In the loss, Ingram totaled just eight points in 26 minutes, as he was never able to get it going. Most likely, Ingram was not at 100 percent for that game. Hopefully, another off day on Thursday helped Ingram heal up a bit, as he will likely have to carry the load offensively.
Ingram has been able to score at least 20 points three times this month with the most recent being a game against the San Antonio Spurs. Without a true point guard like Ball running the offense, the Lakers could use Ingram to draw attention and help make things easier for his teammates.
If we see Ingram have another poor night like he did against the Thunder, the Lakers are going to have a hard time keeping it close. However, if we see the aggressive Ingram, the Lakers certainly have a shot.