Heading into Friday night’s summer league finale, Brandon Ingram had done lots of things well but not had a singular strong performance. His best game in the four previous contests to that point was the Lakers’ Vegas opener where he scored efficiently and played a nice all-around game. But even that game was just sort of a let-the-game-come-to-me sort of performance rather than one where he actively tried to take control.
That approach changed on Friday against the Jazz and, boy, was it fun to watch. Ingram finished the night 22 points on 13 shots, grabbed 5 rebounds, and dished 4 assists. Down the stretch he made key plays, but more than that showed a certain assertiveness throughout that was great to see. Just watch the highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zat_xS78iJE
Beyond those clips showing how smooth a game he possesses as both a scorer and a passer, what stands out most to me are all the little things he does well and how he consistently makes the play in front of him rather than forcing the action. At no point does he seem rushed or panicked, not even when dealing with pressure defense or in the face of a second defender lurking or right on top of him.
He worked out of the triple-threat well, showed a wonderful ability to drive left or right, flashed strong footwork in initial and counter moves, and consistently made correct reads with passes to teammates. Also on display was his spacial understanding — relocating on the weak side to create passing angles, driving to spots on the floor where he can either get his shot off or draw the type of help which opens up teammates for easier shots and then delivering the pass.
This sort of all-around game is expected of such a high pick, but to see him put it together really was nice.
Throughout the previous four games Ingram seemed mostly content to be patient and play a complementary role. Considering he was mostly sharing the floor with Russell (and, to a certain extent, Nance and Zubac), taking that type of approach was fine. The coaches praised him for letting the game come to him. But with Russell (and Nance) sitting, Ingram brought a more aggressive approach. He called for ball reversals to get him catches in preferred spots, chased back to the ball, and then actively looked for his own shot.
It will be interesting to see this type of continued growth throughout pre-season and into the regular season. Ingram clearly has game. Meshing that with more experienced players and doing so from what will likely be a reserve spot will be challenging. But that’s a later discussion. For now, it was just nice to see him get his game going and show what he was capable of.
_Craig W says
It’s no shame – Kobe came off the bench in his first year and wasn’t in the conversation for rookie of the year.
I know, I am putting too much on the kid, but he is so smooth he looks like a combination of Wilkes and Nowitzki – with a little Jason Kidd thrown in. I’m officially very excited about this kid.
smokedaddy says
I am really getting excited watching this kid. Not just his scoring moves, but the whole package. Great ability to see the floor and deliver the pass. This should be a strength of this years team, the passing definitely, and hopefully the ball movement which is not quite the same thing. DAR, Randle, and now Ingram are all exceptional passers at their positions. Clarkson, Deng (I think) and Nance are at least willing. For the bigs like Nance, Mozgov, Zubac and Black, this should be a real plus. The passing offense that Luke wants to employ sounds great and is great, but it requires players who have the ability to maintain a two-pronged focus on scoring and seeing their teamates once they have the ball. Ingram is really good at this, already. So is Randle. Russell is a really good passer but I’d like him to spend less time dribbling than I’ve seen this summer
With Ingram, I think there’s been a tendency to not want to put too much pressure on him with comparisons to Durant, Gervin, Kobe, Nowitzki, Jordan. Obviously a lot has to happen before most fans start to really see this, but we tend to forget where these guys were in their impact at age 19. Yes, you could see the potential, but truthfully I don’t think any, maybe Kobe and Durant, were where Ingram is right now. But truly, I see this kid developing into that type of player given the right coaching, teamates, and support. That he’ll develop physically is a given. Most importantly, from the interviews I’ve seen along with his background and decision making, it looks like he’s got the great character required for that role along with the skills and body. And by that I don’t just mean keeping his nose out of trouble, tho thats important too. It means having the inner confidence and drive to really work hard, demand the ball when necessary, and not be a wallflower. True leadership in other words.
ceartas says
RIP to the great Nate Thurmond who passed today.
lalaker14 says
ceartas RIZP Big Guy
lalaker14 says
Brandon Ingram looks like a future NBA All-Star. He has all the tools and the intangibles. Once he gains experience Ingram will be THE MAN in LA!
lalaker14 says
_Craig W I’m with you; this kid is going to be the real deal.
basquiatball says
And he’snot even 19!
_Craig W says
ceartas He and Wilt sure had some battles. Now both are gone. RIP
ceartas says
Nate the Great: 1st ever Quadruple-double. 40 rebound game. 7 time all-star. And people on this blog say Wilt never faced any big men.
new rr says
Brandon Bass has signed with the Clippers for one year at the vet. min.
HaleHailHell says
ceartas Nate Thurmond was one of the first NBA names that I remember. He, Artis Gilmore, Paul Silas all had names that stuck with me for some reason. Strong defense.
A Horse With No Name says
He deserves better.
matt24 says
Would he have gotten more if he took his player option?
matt24 says
Brandon ingram and d’angelo russell both score in spurts, they both go from cold to hot. Ingram was like that in college.
matt24 says
I don’t really see ingram as a sure bet all-star, but the potential is definitely there.
new rr says
matt24
Yep.
wwlofficial says
I love Ingram… such a high-character kid that has potential off the roof. But you know who I like too? IVICA ZUBAC!
Alexander_ says
While I am sky high on Ingram, it’s unrealistic to expect more than flashes and getting acclimated to the NBA in his first year. He has three strikes against him so to speak:
1. He’s thin and 18, he will get pushed around a lot till he adjusts, and then he will some more;
2. His emergence pattern at Duke was to adjust and learn first, then begin to assert himself, as he did fittingly in the last game of SL, so in the NBA this to me means at least a year (the NBA ain’t Kansas, Dorothy);
3. With better depth at guard than his natural position at SF, it’s logical to expect than BI will be getting the minutes Deng won’t in the position, and with Randle/Nance clogging the 4, there is a 20 min cap on how long he may be on the floor per game, and possibly less.
Luke understands the importance of and is committed to developing the young players. Getting them minutes in all other cases is pretty straight-forward. Randle/Nance/DAR/Clarkson do not have to fight for minutes too much and leve Luke lots of discretion, while there will be little pressure to give Zu major minutes this year. His only dilemma comes to BI, where “developing” Brandon will mean shortchanging some other more NBA-ready player potentially, be it Deng or indirectly minutes from another position, either at 2 or playing Deng-BI together. Hence, my expectation of low minutes for BI most of the year.
With that said, I’m imagining the 2-3 forward combinations of BI-Randle and Nance-Deng eventually as two best and most natural among any other involving these four players; instead of forcing Randle-Nance together, Nance-Deng makes them almost interchangeable at 2/3 and one day they could be NBA-starter-worthy potent combo coming off the bench, with BI-Randle off to the races as starters. But not soon, not next year I would imagine, other than for testing purposes.
J C hoops says
smokedaddy
Lovin Ingram too but comparisons to Kobe as a player are a trifle unrealistic.
Kobe at age 17 was literally electrifying on the court. He was truly Jordan-esque.
As we remember, Jerry West said Kobe turned in the greatest audition workout he’d ever seen.
Ingram on the other hand does remind me of the Iceman, George Gervin.
He’s got tons of potential to be sure. I liked his assertiveness the other night as well.
Did anyone else notice Ingram’s breakout game came when DAR didn’t suit up?
I think that may be because Ingram has been (correctly) deferring to DAR.
I also think DAR feels like he has a lot to prove this year.
I don’t think that will change much in the regular season, except he’ll have more talented players to pass to during the regular season than he did in LV in July.
The Lakers are a feel-good story right now. Luke’s honeymoon is in full swing and I hope it continues.
Luke’s resume doesn’t only include 2 championships as a Laker player, and a half-season as an interim head coach for the famously effective Warriors.
He also played for the great Lute Olsen at AZ,
HIs father was one of the truly all-time greats, Bill Walton, a 2-time NBA champion himself,
Luke also played under Phil Jackson, one of the best if not the best coach in history —
and his father Bill played under the other greatest coach ever: Johnny Wooden. Bill won multiple championships at UCLA as well (two, I think).
Luke’s upbringing and personal charisma combined with his genetics make him possibly the best-qualified guy without actual head coaching experience the league has ever seen.
That’s why the Lakers wanted him badly enough to cut their search short as soon as he said yes.
Here’s hoping
J C hoops says
Alexander_
I also think one other possibility is that Ingram gets some minutes at the 2-guard – If Clarkson comes off the bench – which I realize is unlikely given his new contract, and Lou W probably filling that role.
But…If Ingram plays some 2, he’ll create mismatches, Russell could play the point, Deng the 3, Randle and Nance the 4, and Moz, Black and Zubac at the 5.
That’s what I’d do. Clarkson could run the second team and probably excel, Lou W could play the back at the 3 position.
Any thoughts?
Alexander_ says
J C hoops Alexander_ I agree, I have written about the same previously. I fully expect Luke to experiment with this, so the proof will be in the pudding. But with DAR-Clarkson as the most likely starters and 30mpg players, Calderon and LWill, two capable vets, only have 30-40 min left. For BI to get minutes there, he will either have to exceed expectations, or take minutes from veteran rotation players, my point above. Luke will be literally (slightly) degrading the team’s best chances to get BI minutes. But personally, the heck with that, I want to see BI get as many minutes as his body and psyche can stand. The flip side is, Luke has to manage the mindset of the vets, too. If you disappoint vets by burying them further at the bench, they won’t quite be the glowing positive vet influence we would all like to imagine they are eager to provide.
If BI at the 2 proves viable and/or even better than the 3 for his rookie year, I am expecting a strong push to trade Lou to free up minutes.
J C hoops says
Alexander_ J C hoops
Great point about the vets – and I totally forgot we have Calderon.
It seems funny to say it but I feel like we have some real depth!
I boldly predict we exceed 17 wins next year.
mattal says
Alexander and JC: unless Deng can turn back time he will disappoint as a Three. He was underwhelming as a SF last season in Miami and only played well when Bosh went down and he took his place at the Four.
I’m sure Luol can play SF for spurts depending on the match ups but age and mileage will prevent him from creating the mis matches he did when he was younger.
Clay Bertrand says
I know the minutes are gonna be somewhat scarce at the 4 and likely the 5 too, but seeing Brandon Bass go cross the hall to his old coach Doc and the Ballmers for a measly $1.5 Mil Vet Minimum just doesn’t seem right.
He opted out of a $3.1 Mil player option and wanted to return. BB is a pro’s pro and a guy who has made in in the league as a hard worker. At 6’8″ he has had to do a lot to stick in this league and I would have liked for it to work out with him re signing.
The pay CUT is a kick in the groin too……….smh. I guess there are still haves and have nots even with ALL the money being thrown around under the new crazy cap.
P.S. Never heard one word about CA STATE INCOME TAX from Brandon Bass. I wish him well personally and I wish his team an eternity of miserable failure AGAIN.
J C hoops says
mattal
For the Laker’s sake, I hope you’re wrong about Deng.
I don’t think they are intending to pay Deng $70+ mil to play the 4.
Unless they plan to move Randle – and I’ve heard no rumors about that.
J C hoops says
Clay Bertrand
I’d have written the exact same comment about Bass – you’ve stated it perfectly.
UGGGHHH!
How could the team have passed on Bass for the minimum?
It may have been a case of Bass preferring to play for a pretender.
I mean, contender.
It’s also likely that Bass misread his market value with the cap increasing.
Or he may have gotten word from the FO that he’d struggle to get minutes and they wished him the best and suggested he find a team that needed him more.
Still, it’s odd that they weren’t interested in keeping his professionalism around for its locker room value.
One other possibility is that the Lakers have one more move in mind – and Bass’s salary even though small, would hamper it.
jmjacoby says
Alexander_ J C hoops I would love to see BI Slim get some minutes at the 2. I’m not sure if anyone else gets the Sam Perkins vibe but with way more talent. Maybe it’s just the eyes and height. 😉 I don’t think we will be very good this year, but we should be a lot more fun to watch.
A Horse With No Name says
It comes down to a lack of available minutes. The lakers have plenty of depth at the 4/5, and they need to give minutes to the guys on bigger deals like Black, who will likely occupy the same small ball center niche that Bass did.
I’m sure Bass got a minutes promise from Glen so that he can position himself for a better deal next year.
Deng, Calderon, Mozgov etc. will serve as “old heads.”
A Horse With No Name says
I expect Randle and Deng will,play together as interchangeable forwards, Deng stretching, and Randle collapsing the defense on the attack, and Randle covering the perimeter defensively , Deng the paint. They will of course, switch as needed. It’s the position-less thang . . .
Mid Wilshire says
A Horse With No Name
I agree with Horse. Although I am a big fan of Brandon Bass, the Lakers have a full house at both the 4 and the 5 positions. The only way for the Lakers to develop players such as Zubaz, Nance, and Randle is to give them minutes. You can only learn so much from watching from the bench.
I wish Brandon well. But it was time for him to move on. Apparently there wasn”t the demand for him around the league that I would have anticipated — hence the limited contract. Even so, I think the Clips will be very pleased with him.
As I say, it’s time to move on…for both parties. Good luck to BB.
Clay Bertrand says
Mid Wilshire A Horse With No Name
Agreed. We are just CHOCK FULL at the 4-5 especially if Zublocka is able to get some minutes.
Just seemed a shame for BB to have to take a pay cut.
Clay Bertrand says
Further on Brandon Bass and the seeming plethora of young talent at the 4-5:
Its strange to me that the Lakers announcers and some of the media keep asking whether Zubac is going to be in the D-League or on the Big Club this season.
While it wouldn’t be shocking for him to see SOME time in the D-League (especially if he isn’t getting minutes with the Lakers) I understand that the very reason the Lakers were able to draft him at the 32 spot at all when he was much higher on many teams’ draft boards was that he INSISTED on coming to the NBA THIS YEAR and refused to be a Draft and Stash option. This was reported during the draft and was echoed by some international media.
This insistence, coupled with limited recent playing time due to his limited professional exposure this past season caused him to drop to 32.
Zubac’s glimpses of potential along with the signing of Mozgov and the re-signing of Black surely sealed BB’s fate as it related to a return to the Lakers.
Mozzy & Zubac are traditional big 7 footers more or less while Black and perhaps at times Nance & Randall will be our Small Ball 5s.
I DO expect Zubac to be on the Bench at Staples all season though for sure especially if he can hang with the big boys!!!
Busboys4me says
Bass saw the writing about playing time but the Lakers should have gone with him instead of Tarik Black. Black has no ceiling because he has no game. He’s a faster, weaker Anthony Mason. Bass was an excellent help defender, a vet’s vet, and had an outside shot. He made the mistake of opting out but the FO should have taken care of him. Two years $6 or $7 would have been fair.