As the 2017-18 season nears for the Los Angeles Lakers, many eyes will be on the progression of second-year forward Brandon Ingram. After a promising end to his rookie season, basically everyone expects Ingram to take a major leap forward in year two.
Fans got a brief glimpse of what to expect in Ingram’s lone Summer League performance where he looked to be a level above anyone else on the floor. A minor injury led to him being shut down for the remainder of the summer, but that hasn’t stopped expectations from remaining high.
In addition to improvements skill-wise, Ingram is looking to evolve in other ways as well. In a blog post on BiProUSA.com, Ingram said he not only wants to lead the Lakers by example, but also vocally:
“This offseason, I’m trying to be the hardest worker on the court and really attack my weaknesses. I have a different mentality, a different focus, coming in every single day trying to be a leader by example as well as vocally.”
This is certainly a change as Ingram seemed to be much more of a shy person during his rookie season and didn’t speak up much. Perhaps he is becoming more comfortable and confident, which could only be a positive for both himself and the Lakers.
Ingram really stepped up after the All-Star break last season averaging 13.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting 47.5 percent from the field. The expectations will be higher this upcoming season as Magic Johnson said that he expects Ingram to lead the team in scoring.
Whether or not Ingram is up to that task remains to be seen, but the Lakers will certainly be looking at him to lead them this upcoming season and it sounds as if he is ready to do exactly that.