Getty Brandon Ingram of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the second half of a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The former second overall pick for the Los Angeles Lakers out of Duke drawing comparisons to Kevin Durant, expectations were sky high for Brandon Ingram coming out of college. Despite battling injuries and position changes over the past two years, Ingram has continued to progress as a player. Finally adding the necessary muscle to his slender frame, Ingram is much more comfortable attacking the basket and finishing through contact – something that has opened up every other aspect of his game.
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Brandon Ingram’s 3rd Year Lakers Stats Show Shocking Trend
While Ingram, unfortunately, wasn’t able to play the full season this year due to his DVT scare, he did impress and showed off the major improvements to his game when healthy. However, just how good of a year Ingram actually had got swept under the rug amid all the dysfunction in the organization, like Magic stepping down or the team parting ways with Walton.
As the second overall pick, many expected Ingram to shoot out of the gates an NBA ready scorer. However, few players are ready to immediately step into the NBA and Ingram needed a bit of time to adjust and develop. In fact, comparing Ingram’s numbers to those of this year’s MVP finalists in their third year, you get an idea of just how special Ingram could become…
Brandon Ingram: 18.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.0 APG
James Harden: 16.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.7 APG
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 16.9 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 4.3 APG
Paul George: 17.4 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 4.1 APG
While Harden and Antetokounmpo scored the ball at a slightly more efficient clip, Ingram has them all beat in terms of his points per game. he brings up the rear in terms of assists but at this stage in his career, Ingram is already a better rebounder than both Harden and George.
Do the Lakers Need to Sign Another Star in Free Agency?
All three of Harden, Giannis, and George took a major step forward in their fourth season. With all players finally breaking out for over 20 points per game, Ingram becomes an extremely interesting player to watch this season. Ingram shined when moved down to shooting guard last season and their ability to not only give him the necessary minutes but also the money, becomes a whole lot trickier when adding another max contract player to the mix.
While the Lakers would obviously be a better team should they bring in a Kawhi Leonard, given Ingram’s career trajectory so far, it might be worthwhile holding onto Ingram and using him as the primary building block for the future. Ingram has one more season to prove his career arc isn’t a fluke to the front office and with a clean bill of health heading into 2019-20, could be in for one of the biggest breakout seasons in the NBA.
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