After two solid wins over the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans, the Los Angeles Lakers fell flat against the Minnesota Timberwolves in their final game of a three-game road trip. Brandon Ingram had a decent game in the loss against Karl-Anthony Towns and company but has yet to have a breakout performance in the first 11 games of his NBA career.
Following the win over the Lakers, Towns reportedly passed Ingram in the hallway of the Target Center and gave the 19-year-old some encouragement, according to Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News:
Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns passed Brandon Ingram in the hallway and encouraged him to "keep working." Lots of promising signs thus far
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) November 14, 2016
Towns has quickly become one of the best frontcourt players in the league after bursting on the scene with the Timberwolves last season. The former No. 1 pick for Minnesota was able to live up to and surpass the hype in his rookie campaign and has proven his performance in his first season was no fluke with a solid start to his sophomore season.
Ingram, however, is being brought along slowly by the Lakers. Head coach Luke Walton continues to have Ingram come off the bench and play a reserve role while veteran Luol Deng remains the starter at small forward.
On Sunday night, the rookie forward scored 10 points in 27 minutes off the bench. Although he is a reserve right now, the former Blue Devil is playing starter-like minutes while soaking up the knowledge from veterans like Deng, Timofey Mozgov, and Metta World Peace.
With the road trip now in the books for the Lakers, the team will head back to the Staples Center for a four-game homestand. The storied franchise will host the Brooklyn Nets, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, and Oklahoma City Thunder before going back on the road to face the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 23.
