In the time leading up to the 2016 NBA Draft, Brandon Ingram often drew comparisons to current Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant. They were fitting, considering Ingram had a similar lanky frame as Durant.
Ingram’s rookie season with the Los Angeles Lakers featured flashes of the tantalizing talent that led to their selecting him with the No. 2 overall pick. He appeared in 79 games (40 starts) and averaged 9.4 points, four rebounds and 2.1 assists.
Ingram then took a quantum leap this season, emerging as the Lakers’ best player during multiple stretches and showing off his versatility by playing point guard when Lonzo Ball was sidelined due to injury.
In his quest to further improve his game, the 20-year-old worked with trainer Micah Lancaster, who is renowned for helping Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo:
After spending time with Lancaster, Ingram returned to his roots at Duke University to continue with his offseason training:
???? @B_Ingram13 back in the K Center putting in work. ????#TheBrotherhood ???????? pic.twitter.com/dnlTasUcIj
— Duke Basketball (@DukeMBB) May 10, 2018
This season, Ingram tied for the team lead with 16.1 points per game, while also averaging 5.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists. Additionally, he shot career-bests 48.3 percent from the field and 39 percent behind the arc.
If there was a downside for Ingram’s sophomore season, it was that injuries limited him to just 59 games. A concussion forced Ingram to miss the Lakers’ final seven games.
He went into the summer with expectations from head coach Luke Walton and the front office of further developing into a stellar two-way player, which Ingram expects of himself.