NBA: Player attributes once seen as a flaw that are now an asset

3. Brandon Ingram

In 2016 the Los Angeles Lakers drafted Brandon Ingram second overall. In this loaded draft class, Ingram was able to shine brighter than all the prospects aside from Ben Simmons. Now in just his fourth NBA season, Ingram has looked just as good, if not better than Simmons. One of the main reasons why Simmons was selected over Ingram was due to Ingram’s slender frame.

NBADraft.net said his biggest weakness is that he is “extremely frail, [Ingram] weighed 196 lbs at the 2015 Nike Hoop Summit and that he needs to develop his body and strength in order to handle the physical play at higher levels”.

Brandon Ingram uses his frail frame to his advantage by using a combination of speed and athleticism to take advantage of bigger stronger defenders and both slow and methodical moves to make work of smaller quicker defenders. Ingram has also improved his mid-range game which has given him the ability to shoot over smaller defenders.

Not only is Ingram having an incredible offensive season whilst maintaining his lean frame, but he is also much improved on the defensive end of the floor. Many thought that his frail frame would prevent him from being a plus defender in the NBA. However, this season Ingram is averaging 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks per game by using his is length to disrupt passing lanes and contest shots at a high level.