Los Angeles Lakers: 3 ways Brandon Ingram can improve

3. Take better care of the ball

Every player could commit fewer turnovers. However, Ingram was particularly careless with the basketball this past season, garnering a turnover percentage (13.2%) that ranked in the 17th percentile among wings, per Cleaning the Glass.

In fact, Ingram had a lower assist percentage (12.8%) than turnover rate during this last campaign. This issue jumps out, especially because head coach Luke Walton has often entrusted the starting point guard role to him when Lonzo Ball is sidelined.

The numbers are likely a byproduct of now playing on the same team as LeBron James and Rajon Rondo, naturally giving Ingram less opportunity to facilitate. And since entering the league, the Duke product has needed regular touches to be at his most engaged and effective.

While Rondo may be gone at the start of next season, LeBron isn’t going anywhere and should factor in as the team’s primary playmaker. For Ingram to be the all-around threat he was touted as coming out of college, he must be more decisive when moving the ball in less consistent opportunities.

In many of his passing turnovers, he threw the ball to where his teammate was rather than where they were going. Other times, he threw it to nobody in particular. In the instance, against the Utah Jazz, he did both simultaneously.

After driving and getting into the air, he throws the ball way above where Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was standing.

Of course, there are other far less egregious examples.

Unable to get a shot off over Alex Len‘s help defense, he throws the ball between Tyson Chandler and Kyle Kuzma. Nobody knows who the pass is intended for, and it sails out of bounds for a turnover.

Ingram also turns the ball over when getting too loose with his dribble in the lane. He feels almost flimsy on occasion when driving towards the bucket.

Defenders poke the ball away from him when his dribble gets too wide as Donovan Mitchell does here.

Or, opponents will slice at the ball whenever he goes to pick up his dribble prematurely. There seems a lack of urgency and strength in securing the ball in both hands. Kevin Durant takes advantage of this here.

The Lakers ranked 28th in team turnover percentage (15%) this year, better only than the Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns. Ingram was not the sole culprit of this number, but he was certainly a part of the club’s overall lackadaisical approach.

Improving his ball security will not only make him a better player, but it will also begin remedying one of the Lakers biggest issues as a collective.