Los Angeles Lakers: 3 members of the “young core” who fit this roster
Brandon Ingram
We all saw it coming.
Mocked by certain areas of the media early in his career for being too skinny and being a bust after his 1st season, fans of the purple and gold knew early on that Brandon Ingram was and is special.
Now with the New Orleans Pelicans, Ingram is growing up in front of our eyes to be the player Lakersnation always knew he could be.
Coming into the league, Ingram was so incredibly raw. His body was not built for the NBA. It didn’t even look like his body was built for college basketball.
Initially, you could see Ingram struggled mightily. The game seemed to be going by so quick for him and he was being outplayed in nearly every aspect, but maybe 3 or 4 times a game, you would see a move whether it would be an eye-catching pass in transition, him using his offensive abilities to freeze his man and rise up in his face or him cutting to the rim and finishing amongst the trees.
There was always that ability to be great and with time to mature, grow and add to his game, Brandon Ingram has finally shown why the Lakers drafted him.
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Now an All-Star with the New Orleans Pelicans, Ingram has grown into his body even more and arguably is the best player out of the class that includes Philadelphia 76ers point forward Ben Simmons and the Toronto Raptors newly minted Superstar, Pascal Siakam.
Ingram on this Lakers team would be invaluable.
His skill set lends to everything the Lakers wish to do now and go forward. Ingram would split his minutes at the small forward and shooting guard position, offering crazy length, brilliant scoring prowess, and an ability to be the secondary playmaker when he needs to be.
Of all the options, Brandon Ingram probably offers the best fit in terms of what the Lakers need.
The Lakers need a 3rd star and Ingram would be that ideal 3rd star.
If they need Brandon to score, he can do that at an elite level. If they need him to be the secondary playmaker, he is capable of dishing out 5 assists a game. If they need him to defend, he is capable of performing well from 1-4 easily.
Ingram is an incredibly coachable and willing player who is tough as hell and will fight for his teammates.
He would be the perfect 3rd star for the Los Angeles Lakers and someone who they could have built around long term with Anthony Davis.