With the second overall pick in the upcoming draft, the Los Angeles Lakers will be able to draft whichever of the Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram duo falls to them. Early indications are that ultimately, Ingram will be the pick, joining a young roster and coach ready to take the next step in the franchise’s rebuild.
Nevertheless, there is always a chance that the freshman out of Duke goes first overall to the Sixers. His shooting alone makes him an intriguing choice for a roster jammed with talented but unproven bigs. For most, the chance to be the first prospect off the board come June would be a pleasing thought.
The small forward, however, says that he has no preference in an interview with DraftExpress. Ingram maintained that he will be happy regardless of which franchise, be it the 76ers, the Lakers, or (if something completely unpredictable happens) someone else decides to draft the young star.
The following was transcribed by Harrison Faigen of Silver Screen and Roll:
“It doesn’t matter to me [which team selects me], any organization that can take me, that’s where I want to be,” Ingram said in a pre-draft interview with Draft Express. “I don’t have a certain place that I want to go. Whatever team drafts me, that’s it.”
Who knows if Ingram is telling the complete truth? For some in his position, the prospect of being the number one overall pick may hold enormous weight. For others, the idea of playing in Los Angeles and joining forces with one of the brightest young passers in the league in D’Angelo Russell may be more enticing. For others, and perhaps Ingram fits into this third category, being drafted in the top two of the draft will be joyful enough to not even think about the destination.
Ingram also spoke a bit about his offseason workouts and what he is doing to improve. He namely discussed the goal of getting stronger, perhaps the most obvious flaw in his game as a young prospect. Ingram is immensely skinny at the moment but as he works out this summer both before the draft and after when he is able to use team facilities and trainers, he should be able to gain some weight and become ready for the rigors of the NBA, to some extent.
Ingram did, however, maintain that he is not solely focused on getting stronger but that he will also be working to improve every part of his game:
The Duke product is currently working out in New York and says he wants to improve “Every aspect of the game. Whether it’s driving, shooting the ball, or being on the defensive end, trying to get deflections or blocking shots, said Ingram, before adding “and of course getting stronger.”
“Normally when I wake up it’s straight to the gym,” said Ingram. “Probably about 6:30 I’ll get some shots up, probably run on the treadmill and then just wait for another workout. We work out at a gym about 10 or 20 minutes from where we live and we’re in there for probably half of the day.”
It appears that Ingram knows his own deficiencies and is already focused on fixing and fine tuning them. Whichever team ultimately adds the Duke product to their roster will be pleased to come away with a talented player who seemingly has the work ethic to put it all together.
