Los Angeles Lakers: 3 players stepping up with Brandon Ingram out

With Brandon Ingram out, three players have filled his scoring void and kept the Los Angeles Lakers climbing up the standings.

The left ankle sprain suffered by Brandon Ingram on Dec. 5 was a tough break for the Los Angeles Lakers. Ingram’s minutes were starting to get staggered with the bench units with Rajon Rondo also injured, and this lineup switch gave Ingram more responsibility and a license to be aggressive.

He hasn’t taken the massive leap some expected, but has still been good for 15.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game this season. The Lakers are 2-1 in the games Ingram has missed since his ankle sprain with the team embarking on a four-game road trip.

With Los Angeles lacking in point guards and natural scorers, Ingram’s loss on top of Rondo’s placed more pressure on the supporting cast outside of LeBron James. Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart have seen an uptick in minutes, but their scoring production hasn’t increased much with both averaging roughly a point above their season average over the last three games.

Two players have picked up their play in terms of scoring, however, and have combined to offset the loss of Ingram’s 15.2 points per contest. Meanwhile, a third has been solid in his first real minutes of the season. All three players have endured up-and-down seasons, but have been key players to helping the Lakers stay afloat over the last week.