Los Angeles Lakers: Brandon Ingram’s 2017-2018 overall grade

Ingram’s Weaknesses

While Ingram had a fine second year in the league, his game is not without its flaws.

One area where Ingram held the Lakers back is his mid-range game. While it got better in 2017-2018, he needs to be more consistent with it next season. For example, on shots that were 10-16 feet away, B.I. shot just 35 percent from the field.

Alex Regla of SB Nation recognized this weakness in Ingram’s game as well. However, he also asserted that the former Blue Devil should not eliminate it from his repertoire.

"This is not to suggest Ingram to completely get rid of his mid-range attempts, as with his height and length advantage over most defenders it could provide a valuable option, but rather to simply add more variety to his profile. Ingram’s exact role varied significantly twice this season. Initially, he was treated more as a go-to-scorer in isolation for a team inept early on in terms of offense. But as the season progressed, an injury to the team’s point-guard, Lonzo Ball, prompted Ingram back into the role of primary creator."

Once Ingram adds more strength, he will be a force to be reckoned with for a long time. Granted he was certainly stronger in 2017-2018, he still got pushed around from time to time due to his build. On that note, Ingram’s lack of muscle remains an issue.

His thinner physique is one that defenders can still exploit, and it forced the Lakers’ forward to put up shots with his momentum drifting away from the basket. A few extra pounds, on the other hand, would make the defenders’ lives more challenging.

In doing so, Ingram would be able to capitalize on his newfound ability to drive to the cup. He has already proven he is not afraid to get into the paint. Additional bulk on his body would make it that much easier for the young man to absorb contact.

In furtherance of that, adding muscle would likely allow his rebounding totals to rise. Ingram did average a little over a rebound more in 2017-2018 than he did as a rookie. However, given how significant the ballplayer’s wingspan is, it is fair to expect B.I. to clean up the glass a bit more.

Granted Brandon Ingram’s game is not perfect, he had numerous rock-solid performances for L.A. this year.