Brandon Ingram is the Lakers’ real future superstar

With the hype surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2017 first-round picks, Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma, we’ve forgotten about last season’s No. 2 pick and Duke standout, Brandon Ingram. There’s reason for this, as he had an unremarkable nine-point, four-rebound rookie season.

But now’s the time to invest in Ingram stock, because his rise is already underway.

Averaging 16 points per game, Ingram is L.A.’s second-leading scorer and the team’s go-to in crunch time. His 32-point night on 21 shots against the Warriors earlier in the season showed why.

Ingram went shot-for-shot with Kevin Durant, his consensus NBA player comparison, and nearly outdueled him. In taking his team to overtime, Ingram proved he’s one of the best young wings at getting to the rim, where most of his finishes came. He was able to absorb hits in stride, and like he has for much of the season, finish strong.

Then he hit a huge game-winning three-point shot to beat the Sixers on Dec. 7.

His star potential is no longer a theoretical. He’s showing signs of greatness every night.

With all the talk of what’s to come in free agency for L.A., the Lakers might already have a superstar in the making.

Ingram is handling the ball now more than when he played at Duke, or when D’Angelo Russell was in town. He’s averaging 10.7 drives per game, according to NBA player tracking stats, nearly triple the 3.6 from his rookie year. His free-throw attempts have almost doubled, from 2.7 to 5.2 per game because of it.

Time with the ball has allowed him to grow into a smarter offensive player. He knows when to retreat and create space. That’s part of the reason his potential assist numbers have risen from four to six per game, according to player tracking stats. (That puts him in the same range as top-notch wings like C.J. McCollum and Bradley Beal.)

But it’s also allowed him opportunities to score off the dribble. Here’s an example where he’s able to evade Ben Simmons’ and Joel Embiid’s lengths by stepping back into a mid-range shot — just like a point guard would:

Ingram has five 20-point games this season, and three of those have come against top-10 defenses: Golden State, Houston, and Philadelphia. His first game against the Sixers, when he went off for 26 points, showed us a glimpse into his future.

The 6’9 slasher has a modern NBA frame and a guard’s mentality. That’s why it didn’t matter whether Philly sent Robert Covington, Embiid, or Simmons to defend him.

Against Covington, Ingram was able to run off screens with the ball and extend his 7’0 wingspan to the bucket.

His hang time here shows that he’s finally understanding how to use his frame to beat larger rim protectors. A year ago, this would’ve been swatted away, and Ingram would have crashed to the floor.

He had no fear taking the ball in against Embiid either, who has three inches and at least 60 pounds on him:

Ingram has come a long way in a short time, but there’s still glaring flaws in his game. Aside from his obvious need to gain weight, his three-point shooting (31 percent) is below par and he’s making less than 70 percent of his free throws.

He’ll have to perfect his stroke to get the most out of his game, particularly at the line. He’s shooting to a 68 percent success rate, up 6 percent from last year, but that’s still below where it should be.

Ingram’s already ahead of schedule though. At 20 years old, it’s already easy to see his All-Star potential. He’s becoming a must-watch every night and a player who should be the centerpiece of the Lakers’ long-term future.