Los Angeles Lakers: Brandon Ingram will be an all-star this season

Everyone is waiting for next summer when the Los Angeles Lakers can bring in a second all-star. What people don’t realize is the Lakers already have that in Brandon Ingram.

The Los Angeles Lakers have one of the best young cores in basketball, which includes former second overall pick, Brandon Ingram. However, Ingram is already much more than a promising young piece and will prove that to the rest of the league in his third season in the NBA.

Ingram was selected with the second overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, one pick behind Ben Simmons.

Simmons did sit out his rookie season so the comparisons to Ingram are not as frequent as they typically would be. Instead, Simmons has often been compared to 2017 NBA Draft pick, Donovan Mitchell.

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However, while he did not make the all-star team in his rookie season, many already consider Simmons an all-star and a candidate to be the future face of the NBA. When you compare that to Ingram, it begins to cast a giant shadow that seems insurmountable.

Simmons certainly benefitted from the spotlight that came with the Philadelphia 76ers success last season and Ingram will benefit from that same spotlight this year with LeBron James.

It is more than the spotlight with Ingram, though. He has already made huge strides in his short two-year NBA career and is going to have the first of many great seasons in his third year in the league.

Ingram is trending to score more than 20 points per game in his third year in the league. He went from 9.4 per game to 16.1 per game. Another 6.7-point jump is unlikely to happen but chances are that the young forward will average around 21 a game.

Just look at what he is doing in the preseason. In the Lakers’ third preseason game, Ingram started as a non-traditional point guard. He scored 31 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 35 minutes on the court.

Ingram playing this non-traditional point guard role showcases that he will be more than a statistical upgrade and has legitimate tools to help the Lakers. In a sense, Ingram is the perfect epitome of the new positionless NBA.

With his size and length, Ingram has the ability to be an elite spot-up shooter and if he can work on his midrange game, can develop an off-ball role similar to Kevin Durant‘s in Golden State.

However, Ingram also has a great sense of ball movement and running an offense. Not only can he bring the ball down the court and establish looks for other guys, but he also has the court vision and wherewithal to act as a middleman in transition.

Ingram can cut to the basket and score through contact and as he showed against the Kings, is a great rebounder with his length and size. His passing makes him a great outlet passer, making him great both at the end and start of transitions.

This season, I would expect Ingram to average around 21.5 points, six and a half rebounds and five assists per game. That should be enough to warrant an all-star appearance, especially if he is making highlights alongside LeBron James.

By the time the end of the season is over, people will be talking about what superstar will join the superstar duo of LeBron James and Brandon Ingram.

The Los Angeles Lakers certainly should still be looking to add some more firepower in the offseason next summer. However, Brandon Ingram will be at the forefront of the Lakers’ success this season.