Magic Johnson asks Brandon Ingram to ‘step up’
NBA media day came and went Monday for 28 of the leagues 30 teams. For most it was business as usual, but not for the Los Angeles Lakers.
President of basketball operations Magic Johnson was perhaps a little too optimistic with some of his hopes and expectations for his young Lakers team. One demand however, seemed stranger than the rest.
“[Ingram] needs to step up and be the leading scorer,” Johnson said.
I am a huge fan of sophomore Brandon Ingram, and I don’t doubt that Allstar nominations are in his future, but to expect him to lead Los Angeles in scoring this season seems like a rather unfair request.
Of course first year struggles are to be expected from every rookie in the league, but according to advance metrics, Ingram was one of the worst players in the league on both sides of the ball.
Although most of his disappointing freshman campaign had to do with his spindly 6-9 190 pound far from NBA ready frame, it can’t be overlooked just how bad he was at shooting the ball one all areas of the court covered or wide open.
Having said that, the Lakers small forward has clearly added on a bulk of muscle and added to his offensive arsenal in the offseason. The fruits of his labors have already shown in his lone Summer League appearance in which he showed out for 26 points.
That’s the Summer League though, you might as well have sent him back to the NCAA to play against college kids again.
The NBA regular season will once again be an uphill battle for Ingram. While I don’t expect him to struggle as mightily with a season of experience under his belt, he will face more growing pains and compete for touches on a talented LA roster.
So will he lead the Lakers in points-per-game with proven offensive commodities like Lopez, Clarkson, and Caldwell-Pope? Probably not, but don’t be surprised to see his numbers go up drastically across the board.
