Heading into the 2016 NBA Draft there was pretty much a consensus that the top two prospects were forwards Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram. As such, it was no surprise when they were the first two players taken with Simmons heading to the Philadelphia 76ers and Ingram being selected by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Both players have tremendous potential, but unfortunately for Simmons he has already suffered a setback as he fractured a bone in his foot during Sixers training camp.
After Lakers practice on Saturday, Ingram addressed the news expressing sympathy towards Simmons while also making note of his own ongoing weight gain journey via Mark Medina of the LA Daily News:
Brandon Ingram expressed sympathy for Simmons' injury. Ingram admitted emphasis has been to gain weight gradually to minimize injury risk
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) October 1, 2016
It is always unfortunate when a player’s season is obstructed before it even begins. It hurts even more when that player is a rookie. The Lakers recently experienced this with Julius Randle two years ago who had his season ended on opening night. Simmons wasn’t even that fortunate.
Ingram bringing up his weight gain is noteworthy in this case as Simmons spoke about putting on 33 pounds before training camp began. Putting on a lot of weight in a short amount of time can often lead to injuries because the body isn’t used to carrying that much weight.
It would be unfair to blame Simmons’ injury strictly on his weight gain, but it likely did play some factor and that is why Ingram has decided to be more cautious in his quest to bulk up. Putting on weight and muscle gradually is the way to go and Ingram understands that.
Hopefully Simmons can recover as soon as possible because both he and Ingram could be two players to carry the NBA in future years. For Ingram, this is can serve as a cautionary tale.