While Luke Walton has decided that the Lakers second overall pick Brandon Ingram will not be in the starting lineup to begin the season, it is inevitable that the Duke phenom will have his time to showcase his skills.
Ingram has all the talent in the world and the potential to be a huge impact for the team for years to come but he has to be a student of the game to unlock that potential. During his time with the USA select team, the opportunity to learn from some of the best players in the league is one that Ingram did not squander.
In an interview with Colin Cowherd on The Herd, Ingram said, “When I played with the USA Select Team, all those guys giving me advice. Even guys playing pickup coming to the Lakers facility. Including Andre Iguodala.”
Speaking on Iguodala, the Laker rookie said, “I watch a lot of his play defensively. He’s a great defensive guy,” “I even text with him sometimes, and he just tells me it’s going to be a process, but I have a chance to be special on the defensive end and offensive end.”
The interest in the former Finals MVP does not stop just at watching film for Ingram as he added, “I even text with him sometimes, and he just tells me it’s going to be a process, but I have a chance to be special on the defensive end and offensive end.”
Iguodala has been a premiere wing defender for the better part of his career. He’s long, gets up into players, and has an excellent mind for the game. Those are also all things we saw from Ingram in his only season at Duke. With the Lakers dire need for talent on that end of the floor, and the tools that Ingram possesses to be great defensively, this is an encouraging sign that the 19-year-old is willing to learn from one of the best defenders in the league.
One day we very well could see Ingram become that defensive stopper that Iguodala currently is and that the Lakers hope he will be.
