Much of the Lakers’ future is dependent on the progression of 2016 No. 2 pick Brandon Ingram. While he’s been brought along slowly this preseason, the expectations are still high for the lengthy, athletic wingman.
On the “Open Run” hosted by Bleacher Report’s Jesse Williams, newly-hired head coach Luke Walton spoke about a recent experience with Ingram in which the duo watched tape on Andre Iguodala.
“With our young kid, Brandon Ingram, I pulled him up to the office yesterday, and I had our video guy pull 40 clips of Andre playing one-on-one defense, the way he mirrors the ball, because they have similar body types. The long arms, they’re skinny, but strong and athletic at the same time.
“So I just showed clip after clip of the way Andre defends one-on-one, because Brandon right now, at his young age, has a tendency to keep his hands down. In the NBA, you can’t do that. In college it works because people can’t score. At this level, if you have a hand down, like Mark Jackson says on his telecasts all the time, ‘hand down, man down.’ At this level, that’s going to be a bucket, so I just wanted him to see the visual, and I have the type of relationship that if he had questions about what Andre is doing, I’d feel comfortable calling Andre up and putting the two of them on the phone, and letting them talk.
Ingram has done lots of comparisons ranging from Kevin Durant to now Iggy. So far in the preseason, Ingram has shined brightest on the defensive end where he can use his length and quickness to disrupt shots.
There are few mentors better to learn from on the defensive end than Iguodala. As one of the premier defenders in the league, Iggy plays a vital role for the Warriors, but was not vital enough in the NBA Finals where the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead.
With the likes of Ron Artest and Luol Deng on the roster and Iggy a phone call away, Ingram is quickly racking up a who’s who of mentors in the NBA already.
