Brandon Ingram (Photo : Twitter)
The NBA Draft rumors continue around the NBA as teams are shopping around for the best possible options.
The LA Lakers has been the subject of all kinds of speculation even after they have secured their 2nd overall draft pick (and avoided the prospect of surrendering it to the Philadelphia 76ers). Now, the question is, what will the Lakers do with it?
The 2nd pick is much more valuable than the third because the top two prospects, Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram are perceived as future All-Stars.
The buzz is that the Sixers, who hold the first overall pick, are high on Ben Simmons and most likely to take him even if Brandon Ingram is often cited as a "better fit" for the team. While the Lakers were also rumored to have interest for Simmons, according to ESPN Insider draft guru Chad Ford, Ingram is a fine choice.
Ford noted that Ingram "has an effortless stroke. He didn't seem to be straining at all on the 3s. That's unusual for most prospects, even great shooters, so early in the process. Typically it takes players some time to adjust. Ingram is well on his way."
However, Ford noted that Ingram had a low free throw shooting percentage (68%) Ford said, "typically, free throw shooting has been a better indicator of a player's NBA 3-point shooting ability," so his collegue Kevin Pelton called that as a red flag.
Another knock on Ingram is that he lacks strength, but Ford confirms that Ingram has addressed that.
"Ingram says he has put on around seven pounds since he started strength training, upping his weight to 197 pounds. While his frame is thin, the word from the training staff here was that Ingram is already surprisingly strong."
As a final note, Ingram's versatility will serve him well in the pros as Ford quoted an unnamed NBA exec who said Ingram could excel at the shooting guard spot.
"Back when the Pacers used to play Paul George at the 2, I felt like that was his best position," the exec said. "I feel the same way about Ingram. That's where he can be devastating and his lack of strength won't come back to haunt him. If he becomes a superstar, I think it will be because he developed the ability to play that spot."
Will the Lakers actually play Ingram or use him as trade bait? In a recent interview (May 19th) with Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak at Am570 LA Sports he was quoted saying that "it is their intention at this time to use the no.2 pick." While he says that there will be some conversations with other teams, he also said, "just off the top of my head, there aren't many players we'd use the pick to trade for."
It's possible that Kupchak has already inquired on the big names, (Paul George, DeMarcus Cousins, Jimmy Butler, etc) and did not get a positive vibe. The keyword though is "at this time" which means the decision is fluid. If there is a chance to trade for a star, Kuphcak might change his tune.
