All-everything rookie for the Lakers, Brandon Ingram, seems like the real deal. On offense, his closest NBA resemblance is Kevin Durant, and should give defenses matchup nightmares for years to come. His length, versatility and ball handling skills should make him out to the best Lakers draft pick in recent years.
But will he start when the season rolls around in a few months? He looked decent in Summer League and in a recent poll, other rookies are picking him to win Rookie of the Year. However, per reports, he may come off the bench to begin the season. Let’s see what Luke Walton has in store.
Despite praising rookie forward Brandon Ingram for his playmaking and versatility, Walton said “we’re not going to throw him into the starting lineup right away” out of concern how he handles a grueling 82-game schedule.
“You develop the young core by rewarding them when they play well,” Walton said. “If there’s 10 games left in the season and out of the playoffs and there’s some vets that played long minutes all season, maybe you play all your young guys to finish out the season. But when you’re going through the season, you’re not doing anyone any favors just by playing young guys so they can play if they’re not out there playing the right way.”
H/T: LA Daily News
