Los Angeles Lakers season saved by Rajon Rondo, sink Boston Celtics
By Ronald Agers
The glue guy that the Lakers are going to need if everyone would just leave him alone!
The subplot to this game that got lost with the LeBron James/Kyrie Irving storyline was the constant comparisons of Brandon Ingram and Jayson Tatum. On social media, to listen to Lakers fans complain about having Tatum over Ingram is ridiculous and misguided.
These two players have different games, but Ingram is perfect for this system the Lakers want to play. Plus, Ingram plays much better defense than Tatum. Read the caption on the video below with comments from LeBron James and Luke Walton.
Kyrie Irving when guarded by Brandon Ingram: 2-for-7 with 2 turnovers
— Joey Ramirez (@JoeyARamirez) February 8, 2019
LeBron: "His defense throughout the night on Kyrie and a lot of those guys was exceptional."
Luke Walton: “His defensive effort on Kyrie — who’s nearly impossible to guard — all game long was incredible.” pic.twitter.com/SsyUZ3SBLV
In every possession you see here, Ingram is in Irving’s grill contesting every shot and competing on the defensive end. Where the constant debate continues is where fans just look at highlights of the game or the box score. Tatum scored 22 points and got 10 rebounds and five assists.
On the other hand, Brandon Ingram had 11 points and seven assists. Looks like he had a bad game right?
The difference is Tatum had some defensive breakdowns in the final quarter that opened up opportunities for the Lakers to win this game. First, he was caught watching instead of rotating to Kuzma in the final minute when he nailed the open three.
Then he allowed Tyson Chandler to tap the ball to Rondo for the game winner. If Tatum does not make these mistakes, the Lakers lose. This is what Lake Show Life means when the phrase it’s not all about stats is used to make a point.
Now Ingram can still get to the rim and dunk on you. Plus, he can still handle the rock and get his teammates involved.
The point here is, some things are not shown in a box score. Ingram is a vital part of this team. Appreciate it before it’s too late.