Coming off a loss to the Orlando Magic, Brandon Ingram commented about the Los Angeles Lakers not being dependent on LeBron James.
When the Los Angeles Lakers signed LeBron James, they knew that they were getting the best player in the NBA. However, that does come with obstacles.
With such a young core of talent around James, one of the worries would be these young players not being aggressive with the best player in the NBA on their team. It is certainly understandable for a young player to want to get the ball to the best player on his team, especially when that player is LeBron.
However, as good as LeBron is, he can’t do it all. So far this season, there have been some moments when players have been a bit passive. However, when guys like Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Brandon Ingram are aggressive, it makes the Lakers a noticeably better team.
Recently, Brandon Ingram spoke with LakersNation.com about the team not being dependent on James. Here’s what he had to say.
"“We slip into that but also we trust the ball in his hands. We know he’s going to make the right play for the team; whether it’s shooting the basketball, whether it’s passing the basketball,” Ingram explained.“I think we just have to do a better job of being ready, moving without the basketball and moving to open spots so we can be in areas to make plays.”"
While it is certainly good that the Lakers are willing to share the ball and get it to their best player, that can also hurt the team. If players are passing up chances or being passive on offense, it certainly will have an effect on how the team performs.
Even though the Lakers have James, it is important for the young core to be aggressive on their own as well. Just because James is on the court doesn’t mean that he has to have the ball in his hands. So far this season, James has been perfectly alright with the young core being aggressive, as it has translated into wins.
After a loss to the Magic, the Lakers will be back on the West Coast for a big matchup against the Denver Nuggets. As a very talented team in the Western Conference, the Lakers will have to be aggressive if they want to get this win.