Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton confirmed Andre Ingram will sign a 10-day contract and join the team on their five-game road trip that begins Tuesday against the Chicago Bulls.
“I love his attitude,” Walton said. “He doesn’t complain, he works hard no matter what. You talk to the G League coaches, whenever they need him, he’s ready to play.”
Ingram previously joined the Lakers from South Bay last April for his NBA after spending 11 seasons in the D-League/G League. He scored 19 points in his debut, which made history as the highest-scoring first career game for a Lakers player since Nick Van Exel had 23 points in 1993.
Ingram additionally set a record by connecting on four 3-pointers, marking the most by a Lakers rookie in his debut. That of course wasn’t much of a surprise considering his proficient shooting for South Bay.
This season, Ingram averaged 8.6 points and shot 35.3 percent behind the arc over 34 games with South Bay in what’s been somewhat of a down year. Nevertheless, his shooting ability will be a welcome addition for the Lakers.
Furthermore, Ingram provides the team with needed depth. Lakers head coach Luke Walton recently did not rule out the team calling up Spencer Hawes from South Bay, or possibly signing a free agent.
Walton indicated such a decision would largely hinge on how the team fared with its current injuries. Since that point, Brandon Ingram has been ruled out for the remainder of the season because of a blood clot, and the same decision is expected on Lonzo Ball.
Meanwhile, Lance Stephenson (sprained toe) has missed four of the past five games, and Kyle Kuzma (sprained ankle) hasn’t played in the last two.
