2. Brandon Ingram, Los Angeles Lakers
Injury may have overshadowed this, but Brandon Ingram had a really promising second season. His numbers improved across the board, of course, but more than that, he evolved as a ball-handler, knockdown 3-point shooter and defensive presence for an on-the-rise Los Angeles Lakers squad.
LeBron James‘ arrival thrusts the Lakers’ development status from “preparing to takeoff” to “full throttle,” but Ingram is as well poised to handle that jump in velocity as well as any of the youngsters. He’ll retain his starting role alongside the King, and can work both as a floor-spacer and a secondary option when James draws the defense’s attention in.
Last year, Ingram averaged 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game on 39 percent shooting from downtown. He won’t blow that stat line away in 2018-19, but if the long range efficiency holds up, the 21-year-old could very well improve on his career-high numbers while helping a vastly superior Lakers team put itself back on the map in the playoff landscape.