The Los Angeles Lakers had a frustrating 2015-16 campaign during which they won a franchise-worst 17 games. However, all of the losses did have a bit of a silver lining as the team was able to secure the second overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, which they used to select Duke’s Brandon Ingram.
One of Ingram’s most attractive qualities is his length, which allows him to potentially guard three positions in the NBA. It’s this ability to switch onto multiple players that should be a luxury for new head coach Luke Walton, who will likely attempt to install a Golden State Warriors-style system that relies on interchangeable parts.
Ingram recently sat down with NBA TV to talk about his experience thus far with the Lakers, and his comments are encouraging:
“We have a good team. We know leading up it’s going to be a process. We are gonna have to practice every day, we are gonna have to work hard each and every day, and we’re gonna have to pay attention to detail. Just leading into the season, I feel really good about it. Everyone is young, but everyone is very driven. A lot of people can do a lot of different things on the court. A lot of people are versatile. Big guys can shoot the basketball, we can get to the basket. So it’s going to be very exciting.”
Ingram touches upon a major positive for the Lakers, and that’s the positional diversity that they have among their young players. Between himself, Ivica Zubac, D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, and Larry Nance Jr. the Lakers have young talent at every position, theoretically giving them a team that can grow together and build chemistry for years to come.
While the Lakers still have a long way to go in order to return to respectability, so far it appears that they are finally heading in the right direction.
