First impression of Lakers' Brandon Ingram a promising one at Summer League

L.A. rook has subtle, strong performance in Vegas debut

LAS VEGAS -- Brandon Ingram's Summer League debut with the Los Angeles Lakers wasn't a buzz-worthy, rousing success, but it sure showed why the slender youngster was the No. 2 overall pick.

In Vegas Summer League only one team really gets the crowd in a frenzy, the Lakers. The crowd pops for anything they do, given L.A.'s proximity to Vegas and the overall popularity of the historic franchise, even in this dark time for the purple and gold. Friday night vs. the Pelicans, you heard chants of "Larry! Larry!" for Larry Nance, Jr., and rousing applause for rookie Ivica Zubac (who also had a great debut with several blocked shots).

Every bucket Ingram made was cheered, but his game was much more subtle. His highlights brought the house down, but they weren't extreme punctuations, more like subtle underlinings. Like this hesitation move to clear space and glide to the basket.

The big headline for the Lakers' dominant blowout of the Pelicans was sophomore D'Angelo Russell, who finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists, shrugging off a slow start to dominate the game the way a player of his stature should.

Ingram, meanwhile, finished with 12 points and four rebounds on an efficient 5-of-9 shooting. The bigger key with what Ingram accomplished was his versatility. He handled, like on the drive above, created space for a pull-up turnaround and calmly sunk it, and most impressively, scored a tip-in among the trees of the taller, longer veteran D-League and overseas players for New Orleans to get a bucket.

That last point is crucial, because you couldn't see Ingram on that floor against fringe NBA players and not notice how skinny he is. With rail-thin arms and legs, Ingram looked as if a stiff blast from the air conditioners might send him drifting to the rafters. Instead, he managed to establish himself in traffic and never looked physically overwhelmed. That will be big for his development.

Still, the first impressions of Ingram were not that of a player who would come out of the gate firing to lift the Lakers to a higher level in his first season. Instead, Ingram seemed like a quality player who showed no obvious holes in his game, with the ability to develop into anything. A rebounding, floor-spreading, pick-and-roll running do-it-all Swiss Army knife. He just has to sharpen those tools, and the only thing that will do that is time.

For the Lakers, Friday night in Vegas was about where this team is: a young, exciting group whose immediate future still seems to hinge on Russell. But Ingram showed that maybe the best part of his fit with the Lakers will be just that. He could be anything they need for them, in time, with strength training, as he develops.

He just needs a few more meals first.