Los Angeles Lakers lose but Brandon Ingram shines vs. Philadelphia 76ers

The Los Angeles Lakers may have lost to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night, but Brandon Ingram showed just how much potential he has.

The Los Angeles Lakers are in a major state of turmoil right now. Not just because of the injuries to Kyle Kuzma or Lonzo Ball that kept them out of this game. Not because LeBron James has been out for the longest stretch of his career. The problem, right now, is that it’s anyone’s guess on what’s going on with the franchise.

It has taken its toll on everyone from Luke Walton and his coaching staff to most of the roster. You could tell in the first five minutes of the game. You will notice that I said most of the roster…

Why?

Because Brandon Ingram came to play against the Philadelphia 76ers. It was a real shame that he was basically facing the gauntlet alone as the Lakers lost to the 76ers 121-105 in a game that wasn’t even that close. If Ingram doesn’t electrify the crowd with an amazing run in the first half, the Staples Center crowd would have left early to beat the traffic.

Brandon Ingram had a career night scoring 36 points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out five assists. But that is not the story.

Ingram could not be stopped by Philly. Ingram followed up a game where he shot 9-of-11 in a victory over the Suns, with a shooting performance of 16-of-20 from the field in this game.

Ingram is on a two-game tear that we haven’t seen since that Kobe Bryant dude went into retirement (Before you start making comments, LeBron hasn’t shot 25-of-31 from the field over a two-game stretch this year!).

The Lakers are now 6-11 without LeBron James in the lineup and have fallen to 1-2 since the return of Rajon Rondo. With this listless loss coupled with the loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves last week, it seems that the Lakers problems are starting to run deep.

The problems seem to start at the beginning…like the beginning of games. The Sixers jumped out to a 14-2 lead before the singer on the National Anthem could get off the floor. After facing a 39-20 deficit at the end of the first quarter, the Sixers’ lead climbed to 24 points before the Lakers went on a 16-0 run led by Ingram’s explosion to get the lead manageable.

After the slow starts gets dealt with, the Lakers can move on to this turnover situation, because they handed out free points to the Sixers like bobblehead dolls totaling 34 points.

A special shout out goes to JaVale McGee, who competed as well banging against Joel Embiid scoring 17 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.

Plus, he caught somebody under the rim for one of the nastiest dunks of the year!   

Rajon Rondo finished with 11 assists and seven rebounds. He has now tallied 38 assists over the three games since his return.

But this game is about Brandon Ingram.

Let’s talk about him!

Brandon Ingram showed the entire repertoire with his scoring efficiency!

On a night that none of the other starters even scored double figures, Brandon Ingram was the only scoring option for the Lakers the whole night. Ingram finished the night hitting 13 of his last 14 shots. By the end of the third quarter, Ingram had already tied his career high of 32 points.

Ingram started the game with a few turnovers that helped the Sixers get started on their early run but cleaned up his act after Luke Walton got on him about it. Another positive note for Ingram considering that his name is all over the potential Anthony Davis deal with New Orleans.

Many players at his age could easily allow the distractions surrounding the team to affect his attitude, but Ingram took not and kept playing ball and rewarded himself and the Lakers with an outstanding performance.

https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1090498595474804738

The one important thing that has coincided with Ingram’s great play is the return of Rajon Rondo to the lineup. Brandon Ingram now can concentrate on getting to his spots without worrying about initiating the offense and trying to get everyone else involved.

Finally, if Brandon Ingram is not moved in a trade, the constant criticizing of his mid-range really needs to stop. Casual fans that get caught in the analytical ways of the NBA by constantly shooting 3-pointers do not appreciate the basketball I.Q. of Ingram. He realizes that he has a major advantage shooting from the elbow and finishing at the basket in the Lakers halfcourt offensive sets. Plus he can get his own shot in isolation. He plays to his strengths.

Couple that with the fact that he can run lanes on the fast break and finish strong at the rim, he could be a major asset in the playoffs assuming the Lakers get there.

Sadly for this game at least, his performance was wasted.

Lakers locker room needs to follow Ingram’s lead for the rest of the season!

For the next eight days, there is a possibility that some of these players could easily be in New Orleans. To take my point even further, if the Lakers front office had its choice, they would rather have some of these players in New Orleans for Anthony Davis.

This could lead to a combustible vibe in the locker room. The tensions will be high for the next few games until the deadline, possibly even after.

If the deal does fall through and most of the roster intact, it is important that the players come out with the energy and focus that was sorely lacking in the first quarter of this game.

Not with Brandon Ingram! He came to play and showed it in one play.

Ingram competed and put the team on his back and carried them offensively all night!

There have been so many distractions over the year with LeBron James coming in and changing the mission statement of the franchise. So many obstacles to overcome with injuries, suspensions and constant changes in Luke Walton’s rotation patterns.

Kyle Kuzma, Ivica Zubac, Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram are easily the assets the Lakers have to move along with every first round pick the Lakers have for the New Orleans Pelicans to even consider picking up the phone. It is tough on any NBA player having to deal with trade rumors the way these guys have for the last 24 hours through the next eight days.

There could be a level of resentment in the locker room no matter what happens past Feb. 7th. With the Lakers out of the playoff chase in the 9th position, the players are going to have to come together as a unit to make a run at the playoffs.

Brandon Ingram showed a lot of character in this game. With Kyle Kuzma out, playing a strong Eastern Conference team in Philadelphia, Ingram blocked out all of the distractions and played easily the best game of his short career. If he is traded out of Los Angeles, you can mark my words, the Lakers fans that consistently criticize the way he plays will regret it.

The Los Angeles Lakers are now past the halfway point in their long journey through the NBA season. Lake Show Life will be there every step of the way. Continue to check in for Lakers news, previews and reviews.