Final Thoughts
The talent and skill that made Brandon Ingram the No. 2 overall pick is still very much there.
I’m going to be honest and say that I was one of the main people calling Brandon Ingram a bust in his rookie season. But when he turned a corner in the second half of the season I started to get optimistic about his future.
Part of that had to do with the fact that the Lakers could have traded Brandon Ingram midway through his rookie season to acquire DeMarcus Cousins from the Kings before he was ultimately shipped to the New Orleans Pelicans during the All-Star break.
The previous regime of Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak refused to include Ingram in a trade and at the time I gave them the benefit of the doubt that it was for a good reason.
Ingram could still very much live up to the expectations of being the No. 2 pick. However, similar to other former Lakers such as Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell, I fear that his time to shine might not come in Los Angeles.
If Ingram doesn’t manage to find success playing alongside James, then I believe that he will suffer the same fate as the two aforementioned players above.
Only time will tell.