5 Los Angeles Lakers With The Most To Prove In 2016-17

SF Brandon Ingram

Whenever you’re the No. 2 overall pick, a certain pressure to excel follows you around wherever you go. That’s exactly the situation Brandon Ingram finds himself in heading into his first season with the Lakers.

While most folks aren’t expecting him to turn into a superstar overnight, he’s going to have to prove he’s got the skills to warrant such a high draft selection.

That means helping this Lakers offense put big points on the board, while playing enough defense to keep opponents from destroying them the way they often did in 2015-16.

Ingram has essentially been billed as the savior of one of the NBA’s most storied franchises. He’s already been gifted the burden of ushering Los Angeles into the post-Kobe Bryant era, which may or may not work in the youngster’s favor.

Regardless, that’s the situation and he’s going to have to live with it.

So can he light up the scoreboard early? Will he turn in endless highlight-reel plays as a rookie? No one knows for sure.

The only thing I know right now is that he’s got a lot to prove, especially for a rookie.

Next: A Solid Contributor In The Paint