Los Angeles Lakers: Grading each starter after 1 month of play

Small Forward: Brandon Ingram

The only player on the roster that Magic Johnson referred to as “untouchable” in any trade talks has quietly shown leaps of improvement after his rookie season. Ingram has increased his scoring average to 14.7 points per game this season, up from 9.4 points per game his rookie year.

The thing that stands out the most about Brandon Ingram’s game this year is without a doubt his increased sense of aggression. There have been plays this season where Ingram drives to the basket and gets cut off, but instead of panicking and passing to a teammate like he did last season, he is showing incredible body control to contort through defenses and finish at the basket.

The former second overall pick out of Duke has been using his 6’9″ frame and 7’0″ wingspan to finish over and around taller defenders. He is shooting 45.4 percent from the field on about four more shots taken per game than last season.

One facet of Ingram’s game that he must improve is his 3-point shooting. His teammates have been doing a great job of finding him on the perimeter, but Ingram is shooting just 31.8 percent on those attempts. He’ll have to find his stroke again if he wants to get his scoring average up over 20 points this season.

Grade: B+