Former Duke Blue Devil Brandon Ingram made his debut in the Laker uniform against the New Orleans Pelicans Friday night. The Lakers defeated the Pelicans 85-65 in a game that was never competitive from the start, and the No. 2 overall pick did not disappoint. Ingram finished with 12 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks on 5-of- 9 shooting in front of a plethora of eager and anxious Laker fans.
As stated before, it is still very early, but Ingram looks ready. His athleticism and shooting ability, coupled with his blocking and defense, has shown that he was worthy of the being picked second in the 2016 NBA draft. Ingram quickly got his game going, scoring on the second possession for the purple and gold. Ingram shakes off defenders for a quick pull up jumper for the swish as shown in the clip below.
Brandon Ingram's first basket swishes right through the net. https://t.co/YaEawhiqRv
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 9, 2016
Ingram has great handles and excellent court vision on the offensive end, but he can get it done on the defensive end. He shows his coveted wingspan in the clip below, focusing and locked in, rising up for the block on former Wolfpack guard Cat Barber.
Brandon Ingram rises for the rejection, the fourth Lakers block of the opening half.https://t.co/cTKWT07BUf
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 9, 2016
In the next clip, Ingram shows off his dunking ability with the shake and bake move over Nick Minnerath resulting in a slam for the finish.
This Brandon Ingram hesitation move and dunk. Oh my. https://t.co/mJHiMh1czM pic.twitter.com/FtgCkOVpMo
— Silver Screen & Roll (@LakersSBN) July 9, 2016
Brandon Ingram had a sensation freshman year at Duke, and it seems that it has translated rather quickly in the pros. His natural flow and fluency was apparent and if he continues to stay consistent, he will be a scary match-up for years in the league.