1. Brandon Ingram, Los Angeles Lakers
Like it or not, playing with LeBron James draws the attention of a national audience and the heat the comes from that giant spotlight. Playing for the Los Angeles Lakers already comes with unending pressure and scrutiny, but in 2018-19, expectations for the young pieces will be sky high.
Though this ragtag group is nowhere near being a legitimate title contender just yet, that will be the expectation for any team with the greatest basketball player in the world on its roster. Because that team is also a franchise with such an illustrious history of championship success like the Lakers, it won’t be any easier either. For the youngsters, it’ll be “keep up and step up” or “take a seat.”
Brandon Ingram is the first face that comes to mind among the youngsters who should be — no, need to be — ready to answer the call. After a lackluster rookie campaign, Ingram showed real progress in his sophomore season, averaging 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.
Missing 23 games and playing for a 35-win team contributed to his headway going relatively unnoticed, but Ingram improved as a playmaker, ball-handler, scorer and shooter, converting 47 percent of his shots from the floor and 39 percent of his triples. In other words, he feels like the perfect complementary talent to become LeBron’s righthand man.
Ingram is a safe bet to retain his starting job at the 3, since LeBron will most likely take the 4-spot. He’ll benefit from spot-up looks from the King, can attack defenses off swing passes and he just seemed ready for a breakout season before James joined the party. That marquee arrival might hold back a true explosion to superstardom, but at only 21 years old, Ingram is poised to take his team’s talent upgrades in stride and use them to have the best season of his career yet.