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Brandon Ingram Ruled Out for Remainder of Summer League

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On the final play of regulation of Friday’s overtime loss to the Clippers at the Las Vegas Summer League, Brandon Ingram elevated for a jumper over two defenders and had his shot carom off the rim. After the miss, he sat on the ground for an extended period, holding his leg with the trainers coming to check on him shortly after. It was not something Lakers fans wanted to see.

However, that fear was quickly erased after it was determined Ingram was only dealing with cramps. Post-game, he said he wanted to go back in, but President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson put the kibosh on that. Ingram sat and watched his team fall in OT. And now, he’ll sit for the remainder of the Lakers games in Vegas, too:

I am perfectly good with this. Ingram looked exactly how I’d want a 2nd year lottery pick to look in Friday’s game. He scored 26 points on 9-17 shooting while hitting 7-8 from the foul line. He looked like the best player on the floor while showing off an evolving offensive arsenal reflective of the work he’s put in since the end of the regular season in April. I mean, check out this short clip from Draft Express’ Mike Schmitz:

Triple threat work, rip throughs, hesitation dribbles, finishes at the rim, post ups, turnaround jumpers, no look passes, isolations out of 1-4 sets. Ingram did it all on offense and then flashed good engagement and activity on defense too. As I wrote in my summer league preview, I wanted to see if Ingram could show us he was “too good for summer league” and on Friday night he gave us a that.

Now, having him sit out will have a ripple effect on this team. Lonzo Ball will have a tougher go of things without a primary scorer flanking him on the wing. In Friday’s game, Lonzo showed his proclivity to throw the ball ahead to his wings streaking up the floor, and it was Ingram who received most of those passes into space going up court. Ingram is also the team’s next best passer, so having him out may also impact some of Lonzo’s off-ball work. So, in the micro, this won’t be good for Lonzo or for the Lakers’ chances at winning games.

However, in the macro, this is the smart move. Ingram doesn’t need these games to prove anything. Yes, he had an up and down rookie year, but I’m a believer in his ability to develop and his performance on Friday reinforced that belief. So, get some rest Brandon and make sure you’re all healed up and ready to go come training camp.


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Comments

  1. adamv37 says

    For me, one of the most impressive aspects of Ingram’s night was how he was constantly drawing fouls by defenders trying to bump him off his spot. He’s obviously gotten stronger and it seems he’s more confident, getting what he wants on the court.

    Ingram missing the rest of the SL could be a blessing in disguise for Lonzo, as he’ll need to be more aggressive if he wants that SL Championship. Last night he seemed to be overthinking things and was hesitant at times. I’m not concerned about his shooting right now, I just want to see him making smart plays, keeping the defense off balance and passing his teammates open.

  2. Disney says

    Stop making exuses for Magic,…one game?…for a second year player who needed to prove he is what MAGIC SAID HE IS?…like you said,..he did not light it up last year….I know Ingram was looking forward to Summer League,..its like “work your ass all summer” but dont show it at anytime…meh!!!!

  4. Clay Bertrand says

    I would agree that no Ingram takes away Lonzo’s BAIL OUT guy. He was actively looking for Ingram last night (not a bad thing) but its almost as if he maybe looked to him too much at times. He would just give the ball to Ingram and let him work.

    Now Lonzo will have to function without him and may have more leeway to try to GET HIS OWN. I know that’s not his game. But ALL young players seem to defer to the guys who have been there especially when they are just starting out.

    I’m just glad we have another game so quickly.

    GO LAKERS!

  5. mindcrime says

    I’m with RR. In fact, I’ll go one step further and say “no-brainer.” Ingram scored 26 in a SL game. More summery league games won’t benefit him enough to justify the injury risk.

  6. Leo says

    I completely disagree. Ingram got cramps and is healthy enough to continue to practice with the team–meaning that this has nothing to do with a heightened injury risk. This is a young and raw player who needs as much competitive basketball as he can get. He had one good game (and while it was a very nice game, let’s not make it into some kind of utter domination).

    “Too good for summer league” is an insanely premature conclusion.

  7. mindcrime says

    Leo:

    If BI was an unproven rookie who had played zero NBA ball other than the game last night, the point might be well-taken. However, he isn’t. I don’t know if he’s a future all-star, but he showed last year that he is probably, at the very least, a “real” NBA player. No reason for BI to play more meaningless games than necessary, because the Lakers are thin at the wing already. Preseason will be here soon enough.

    • Leo says

      Mindcrime: I guess I see it differently. I see Ingram as a guy who is incredibly raw, who got a ton of minutes last year and who showed a few flashes in between a lot of struggles. I think he looked much improved in one game, but it’s just that: one game. Kyle Kuzma tonight looked like a starting wing player, but nobody is calling for him to sit.

      I think that Ingram’s role on this team is very different from his role last year, and I think he would benefit from coming out and playing three, four, or five extremely good games. I also think that sitting Ingram will hurt Ball’s development, because if ever there was a player who would benefit from having a talented teammate to help shoulder the load it’s a guy who can’t really get his own shot off but who has excellent court vision.

      Look, I certainly get it if BI is injured, but the report that he will practice with the team suggests that is not the case. I just think a lot of people (myself included) desperately want BI to be a stud that some are quick to anoint him with a status like “too good for summer league” that I don’t think he deserves or benefits from. I saw a good game, not a dominant one (nine FGs on barely 50% shooting is good–not great). He moved well and absorbed contact far better than last year, but to me these are things to build on in upcoming SL games. But hey, I’m not calling the shots here, and I’ll just have to wait for preseason I guess.