Throughout the entire summer, one of the names that continually was brought up when talking about the Los Angeles Lakers was Brandon Ingram. The second-year forward has a ton of expectations on him heading into the season from both the front office and the fans.
One thing that is great regarding Ingram is his work ethic. He is known as arguably the hardest worker on the team and is always in the gym. He is also becoming more of a vocal leader and has spoken about that being one of his goals this season.
The Lakers are looking at Ingram being a leader and potentially the leading scorer this season which takes a certain kind of mentality. Speaking on Spectrum SportsNet at Media Day, GM Rob Pelinka said that he believes Ingram has the same type of mindset as legends Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant:
“Brandon was just a beast the way he worked this offseason… The way he was working in the weight room and on the court, he’s a leader. He definitely has that Magic Johnson Kobe Bryant mentality about him where if he sees you in his way he’s going to find a way to go through you.”
Ingram has certainly stepped up this offseason as a leader amongst the young Lakers. He has become more vocal and it has been noticeable amongst his teammates. He also constantly puts the work in, a staple of Kobe’s as no one would outwork him.
The Lakers truly believe that Ingram has the potential to be a true star in this league and he is on his way to that level. Between his mindset, work ethic, and natural gifts, he has all of the necessary tools. Now with the season around the corner, everyone will see Ingram take that next step.