On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Lakers will get their first up-close look at the trio of young players they traded in order to acquire Anthony Davis. Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart were all casualties of a move that immediately turned the Lakers into contenders.
The trade may have been beneficial for them, too. Ingram, in particular, has been having a breakout season in part due to his stellar perimeter shooting to start the year. Despite not having much of an offseason to work on his game, the fourth-year forward seems to have taken a step forward even from his stellar stretch of basketball for the Lakers before injuries ended his final season in the purple and gold.
Ahead of the anticipated matchup, Ingram was candid about his last few months as a Laker as trade rumors and failing to compete for the postseason turned it into a miserable situation for everyone involved.
Following via Mark Medina of USA Today:
“The team was a little rattled. Coming in every day, it wasn’t always good,” Ingram told USA TODAY Sports. “It wasn’t always good energy.”
Despite trade talks becoming public and his status constantly being in question, Ingram says he has no “bad blood” or “hard feelings” towards the franchise that drafted him second overall in 2015. Nevertheless, he did not downplay the game on Wednesday, admitting that he could get hyped up to play his former team and teammates.
The Pelicans host the Lakers at 6:30 PM PST on Wednesday.
