Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James has partner in Brandon Ingram

The Los Angeles Lakers have a wingman for LeBron James in Brandon Ingram.

Last Thursday, Los Angeles Lakers small forward, Brandon Ingram, had his outrageous potential on full display. Ingram tallied 31 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and dished three assists, adding three steals and a block. Not to be forgotten, Ingram lived at the line with 16 free throw attempts.

Every lucid fantasy Laker fans have of Mr. Fantastic came to fruition. With each turnaround fade away, step back jumper in defenders faces, and downright ridiculous length type finishes, have Laker fans swooning.

Going into his third season, Ingram is set to break out and fans are not the only ones to be certain of this. LeBron James has been very vocal about the kid from Kinston.

"“He’s a great kid. He works hard — extremely hard — and he has a lot of talent. And he believes in his ability, so we’ll see what the next jump is, but, I mean, none of us are prophets. We don’t know.”"

During Ingram’s first year in the league, lot’s of opinions were made about what kind of player the skinny kid from Kinston, NC, would become. Many, if not most, believed Ingram was a bust.

Due to struggles at the beginning of the season that would carry on throughout, Ingram averaged pedestrian numbers while looking unconvincing on the other side of the floor. Many believed the Lakers may have chosen the wrong wing.

So, coming into his second season as a Laker, Ingram had a lot to prove as he was touted as the “next Kevin Durant”. Though, knowledgeable fans understood their games were different.

More from Lake Show Life

Magic Johnson, the then-newly appointed president of basketball operations for the Lakers, didn’t help either, dumping on a bold 20 points per a game prediction on Ingram before the start of last season. However, Ingram accepted those expectations without issue.

It wasn’t until the Lakers played the Warriors late in November that Ingram broke through. He unleashed a series of moves that showed how much hard work the kid puts in. Ingram dropped 32 points, four rebounds, three assists, and three steals, including picking Kevin Durant’s pocket to bring the Lakers within one in overtime.

It was the statement game Ingram needed to let the world know that he had arrived, thus kick-starting a vibrant season in which Ingram transformed into a point-forward hybrid. This led to his best month of the season in February, averaging 18 points, five rebounds and five assists per game.

Ingram finished the year averaging 16 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per a game, a massive improvement from nine points/three rebounds/three assists as a rookie. The Lakers benefited from the improvement of the young wiry wing by going 16-7 after the start of January 1st, including a five-game road winning streak for the first time in four years before the team was once again ravaged by injuries.

Brandon’s best ability, as he has always stated, has been attacking the rim. Due to his thin frame during his rookie year, Ingram struggled to finish through contact. With improvements to his core strength and overall body, Ingram became a battering ram attacking the paint with reckless abandon.

BI was top five in the league in drives to the rim with 10.6 attempts per a game. Ingram also improved as a 3-point shooter, increasing by 10 percent from his poor rookie year at a lowly 29 percent. Add on his finishing the season at 41 percent on catch-and-shoot attempts, which brings us back to the title… LeBron James.

LeBron decided to take his all-world talents to L.A. and help this young squad. What stood out the most was LeBron’s praise of Brandon Ingram.

"“His pace, his ability to play the point and play the wing, he’s a very special talent,” said James of Ingram after the Lakers’ first preseason win, “and we’re definitely happy to have him on our side.”"

LeBron has been asking for a versatile wing who can create and defend on multiple levels for years and I think finally Ingram is that player. During the last season, Cleveland was clearly in need of another wing type player who could create their own shot and make plays for the best player in the world. However, even with all the trades midseason, the Cavs never found that player.

LeBron was once again left to be the team’s do-it-all player. Avid NBA fans have already seen what happens when one player has to carry such an incredible load. Not since Miami has LeBron played with a wing who can defend and attack the rim like Ingram.

Unlike Wade, who never really became that reliable shooter from behind the arc, Ingram can sit on the same side on a LeBron post up and punish the defense for helping with a 3-ball.

Add in the fact that Ingram is seven years younger than Wade and is still finding out what his ceiling is, this partnership seems to have no limits. We’ve already seen a small tidbit of their chemistry in the preseason with LeBron commenting about Ingrams ability to always move without the ball.

“I find a rhythm with anybody who is very energetic offensively, that’s a guy who always moves off ball.”

Ingram can now put more energy towards using that Mr. Fantastic length on defense, while also getting easy buckets on cuts and attacking the defense after LeBron has already broken it down.

LeBron seems to be the biggest Ingram believer with this statement about the potential of Ingram going into his third season, ” This is the year for him, I believe in him… Every big shot we needed, every big play we needed he made down the stretch, and I love seeing his growth, he’s growing more and more every day. he’s looking for the next opportunity to make the jump in his third year, so there’s a lot of upside in that kid and I’m happy to try to give him as much as I can.”

Laker fans can’t help but look forward to the future; it’s a gift and curse. Due to the other max slot available, fans will be clamoring for another big star signing. What if the star has been right in front of us the whole time? Just sit back and enjoy this season Laker fans the proof might be in the pudding.