Ingram’s NBA Dream Comes True

He’s 6’9”. His wingspan is 7’3.25”. His standing reach is 9’1.5”. He has a max touch of 12 feet high.

He averaged 17.3 points while shooting 41.0 percent from three, plus 6.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.1 steals as an 18-year-old freshman at Duke.

He’s quick. He’s athletic. He’s wiry. He has great defensive instincts.

He wants to be great, is a renowned gym rat who won four consecutive North Carolina state championships in high school and even skipped his senior prom to work on his game.

His name is Brandon Ingram, and he’s the newest member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

“I’m just very excited to be in this Lakers franchise now and just try to go in and impact this game in a different type of way and be the hardest worker on the floor,” said Ingram.

On Thursday evening in Brooklyn, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced Ingram’s name as the No. 2 overall pick, just as he did for D’Angelo Russell one year ago.

“We got the player that I wanted in the draft,” said new Lakers head coach Luke Walton. “I don’t know if he’s the best or not, but he’s the player I wanted for sure. What he has the potential of doing and what he can already do at his age with his length and skill set is very impressive and unique.”

Ingram has so many things going for him as a basketball player and prospect that the Lakers were thrilled to have the opportunity to draft him. In addition to his physical gifts highlighted by his length, Ingram is an elite scorer with three-point range (41.0 percent at Duke), a quick first step, strong footwork and an intelligence in how and when to attack off the dribble. Just 6’2″ as a freshman in high school before an extended growth spurt, Ingram developed point guard skills that he retains at what’s now power-forward height. He should be able to play the two, three and, even the four as he gains strength.

“Versatility is very important in the modern game,” Ingram offered. “I’m just going to be myself. Whatever I can do to impact the game, whatever the coach needs me to do, I’m going to do it.”

Throughout his freshman year, Ingram showed the ability to create shots for himself and teammates, as was frequently used in NBA-like sets that included plenty of screen/roll, isolation or dribble hand-off action.

He’s going to be difficult for NBA wings to handle because of his length and size, and also for bigger forwards to contend with because of his handle, shooting range and ability off the dribble. His 3-point success rate in college was impressive considering the large sample size (nearly 200 attempts). He can see over the top of most defenders to get a clean look at the rim, and he possesses both a high release point and a quick release that ESPN’s Sports Science tested in a phone booth to impressive results.

His potential impact on defense is just as important. It’s rare that you have a 7’3″ wingspan on a player who can play on the perimeter. The ability to both guard multiple positions on the ball and make an impact protecting the rim as a help defender is absolutely ideal for a coach. The Warriors, Cavs and Thunder in particular showed how important it was to have versatile defenders that can switch screen/roll action and hold up 1-on-1, and Ingram projects to be a major plus in that manner.

His new coach is certainly excited about Ingram on that end of the floor.

“His ability to make reads on the court defensively is one of the favorite things I’ve seen him do,” said Walton. “Whether that’s switching onto different players or coming on the weak side and blocking shots — a lot of that is timing. It’s tough to coach. Kids that are really good at it kind of have a knack for doing it. We have a kid up in Golden State, Draymond (Green), who we didn’t coach to be such a phenomenal team defender. He just was because he sees the game like that. It means that the player’s pretty intelligent. And I think that Brandon fits that mold.”

Walton’s eager to put in a sense of culture from the start, which will soon be inputted in Las Vegas Summer League practices and games.

“We’re going to put our stamp on the culture that we want,” Walton said at his introductory press conference on Tuesday. “It’s going to be joy. Our players are going to like coming into practice every day. We’re going to play a brand of basketball that the L.A. fans will appreciate. We’re going to compete.”

If Walton’s excited about Ingram, the feelings are mutual. Ingram said he was very impressed with how Walton coached the Warriors when Steve Kerr was ailing early in the season, and noted how much the Warriors players loved Luke.

“Of course everyone wants to play like the Golden State Warriors, so just seeing that and seeing him coach those guys and just with the young guys that we have, the shooting ability and the passing ability for D’Angelo Russell and the different things that the Lakers do I think it’s a good fit for me,” said Ingram.

Ingram’s first chance to put on a Lakers jersey will come in just two weeks, at the Las Vegas Summer League. He’ll have a few days to soak in one of the biggest days of his life, one he’d been thinking since he was a little kid.

June 23, 2016 was simply a dream come true.

“I grew up being a Kobe fan, of course,” he concluded. “Of course (making the NBA is) every kid’s dream. Just my Lakers jersey back at home, and I’m definitely going to take this ride and work the hardest I can to be the best player I can be.”

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