X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Brandon Ingram: Lake Show Star

Andre dives deep into the performance of emerging NBA star Brandon Ingram of the Lakers, who will come up big for owners in the fantasy basketball playoffs.

As one of the greatest tankathons in the NBA is underway, a few teams stand out. The Brooklyn Nets, who still don’t have their own pick this year, and the LA Lakers, who lose their 2018 first round pick to Boston or Philadelphia in a convoluted manner, both stand to continue to fight for wins in the post All-Star period. Nobody is calling these two teams great yet, but the Lakers are showing incredibly promising signs of future prowess. This means good things for fantasy managers as well because you can expect the Lakers to play its players in a sensible way rather than resting players for youth. Today we’re diving into the game of Brandon Ingram, the sophomore future star of the Lakers.

In the hype surrounding one of the NBA’s historically premier teams, Ingram has been shuttled aside for players such as Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and, even, Isaiah Thomas. This is expected for fans who aren’t down for watching bad teams, and Ingram’s rookie season especially left Lakers fans wanting. But the numbers don’t lie, and Ingram is showing incredible strides leading HIS team despite all the peripheral damage flying past his franchise.

My first few impressions from watching Ingram’s game as of late is that he is truly using his length now. At 6’9’’, 190 lbs, Ingram is still thin, but he’s been great at using his long limbs to drive into the lane to either score or draw the foul. Coach Luke Walton has been using Ingram in a point forward role to bring the ball down the court on offense, and, with the ball in his hands more often, his potential to create is showing. Let me show you, not tell you how Brandon Ingram is becoming a star worth grabbing.

Upgrade To VIP: Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Jamie Calandro and Dan Palyo lead the RotoBaller team in 2024-25 with exclusive DFS picks, Prop picks and more. Gain VIP access to our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS Cheat Sheets and VIP Chat Rooms. Go Premium, Win More!

Brandon Ingram

To preface Ingram’s spotlight, I’ve never looked at a player this young before and the data is fairly limited. In that case, it may be hard to determine definitive trends with a season and half worth of data. I pulled Ingram’s numbers from his year at Duke to see how he has evolved.

Ingram had a pre-season ADP of 92.3, but, so far, over the season, he’s been ranked 170. This is due to his poor shooting percentages from 3, his low free throw percentages, and his high turnovers. Here is his season-long data.

Ingram has been shooting an average of 13 shots per game, 4.8 free throws, and 1.7 threes. There are obvious differences from college to the NBA; you have more evenly distributed talent, the three-point line is further back, your competition is weaker, etc. So, you would expect some devaluation coming into the NBA. Ingram’s game hasn’t manifested itself in great changes stats wise, although his passing skills are much improved. Young teams often need a bit of time over the season to really figure out how to use their young, volatile pieces. The Lakers have been playing a better clip, despite having their point guard, Lonzo Ball, injured. Ingram has shown drastic improvement over the past month. He has introduced ball handling, distribution, and driving skills that have pushed the Lakers squad forward. Over the past month, Ingram has a fantasy rank of 60.  His shooting numbers didn’t alter that much (13.3 shots per game, 4.1 free throws, and 2 threes).

Here, the assists and shooting percentages are up tremendously, as well as the stocks stats. As always, we need to look at the sustainability of these increased numbers. How has Ingram’s game changed over the past month or is this just an “up” shooting month?

Shooting:

Ingram has shown consistent improvement in his shooting percentages from his rookie year in all categories (6.5% increase in fg%, 8.7% increase in 3FG%, and 4.5% increase in ft%) More is to come in these areas. He gets the second most touches per game on his team (56.3) and the most front court touches per game on his team [34.6] His shot creation has been a wonder to the Lakers. 86.7% of his field goals attempted are from two-point range and 13.3 of his shots are from 3. Managers would hope that eventually Ingram can spread his shooting out more to the perimeter. 58.1% of Ingram’s field goals made are unassisted, which says a lot about his potential to carry a team. Ingram also takes 10.7 drives per game, the most on the Lakers, and is converting to 47.9% shooting on these drives. This part of Ingram’s game is the most impressive improvement.

Passing:

Ingram has also grown in the area of ball handling and distribution. He has the second most passes made on the team behind Ball [35.9] He has been seeing more value in this realm since Ball has been hurt, but his game average assists go from 3.8 to 8 potential assists, which shows his promise as his team gets better.

Defense:

On average, Ingram contests 8.8 shots and has 1.8 deflections per game. He also has the most contested 3s per game on his team [4.3], which means he’s improving as a perimeter defender as well. His opponents are shooting 38.2% on 11.5 shots from midrange and 35.7% on 20.4 shots from 3. Ingram is lengthy and shifty, so don’t sleep on his potential as a defender.

Lineup Data:

Brandon Ingram has solidly grasped onto the starting small forward role for the Lakers. He has an offensive rating of 102.7 and a defensive rating of 105.3. The Lakers most played unit of Ball, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Ingram, Kuzma, and Brook Lopez [224 min] have a net rating of -0.8. An interesting development over the past month that has become a staple lineup with 175 minutes played is the lineup with Ingram running point and Josh Hart, KCP, Julius Randle, Lopez filling out the other spots. That lineup excludes Ball with his injury, but has a 7.6 net rating. This is the highest net rating for lineups with over 100 minutes played together that the Lakers have put together. It will be interesting to see how ball handlers are set with Ball coming back from injury and Hart out indefinitely. Ingram may see more usage due to his ball handling and distribution ability. Another interesting note is that Ingram played exceptionally well with Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. [18.1 net rating with 94.4 defensive rating and 165 minutes played together]. Sadly, those are the two players LA traded away to Cleveland. I think once Ingram gets adjusted to the constantly fluctuating lineups, he will solidify his numbers. But I have confidence that, due to his natural improvement, he will continue to shine on this roster.

My major takeaway is that Brandon Ingram is dripping with potential and has shown consistent improvement through the middle of his sophomore season. He has been showing proof of stardom and a strong leader for the Lakers. Look to see Ingram grow to a top 50-60 player next season, and a top 90 player for the rest of this season.

 

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis

DFS Premium Subscription

Get a free trial of our powerful Premium Tools. Our famous DFS Cheat Sheets, and Lineup Optimizers & Generators with daily matchup projections.

Win more. Try the most advanced lineup optimizer in daily fantasy sports.

Sign Up Now!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Griffin Conine

To Have Shoulder Surgery On Tuesday
Luke Keaschall

Twins Prospect Luke Keaschall Suffers Broken Forearm
Logan Gilbert

Leaves Friday's Start With Forearm Tightness

Vikings Select Tai Felton To Finish Day 2

Seahawks Select Quarterback Jalen Milroe With The 92nd Pick Overall

Browns Select Dillon Gabriel 94th Overall

Packers Pick Savion Williams At No. 87 overall

Steelers Snag Kaleb Johnson In Round 3

Broncos Select Wide Receiver Pat Bryant With The 74th Overall Pick

Texans Select Jaylin Noel With 79th Pick

Lions Select Wide Receiver Isaac TeSlaa With The 70th Overall Pick
Jack Leiter

To Start On Sunday

Patriots Add Wide Receiver Kyle Williams In Round 3

Browns Draft Harold Fannin Jr. With 67th Pick
Garrett Mitchell

Makes Early Exit
Luke Keaschall

Removed Early On Friday
Blake Snell

Likely Avoids Major Injury
Cole Ragans

Dealing With Mild Groin Strain

Broncos Add RJ Harvey To Backfield With 60th Pick

Raiders Select Jack Bech With 58th Pick

Chargers Add Wide Receiver Tre Harris In Round 2
Detroit Lions

Lions Acquire 57th Pick From Broncos

Seahawks Draft Elijah Arroyo 50th Overall
Carolina Panthers

Panthers Acquire 51st Pick From Broncos
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Snag Will Johnson At No. 47

Jets Add A Pass-Catcher With Mason Taylor At No. 42

Rams Select Terrance Ferguson With 46th Pick
Houston Texans

Texans Acquire 48th Pick From Raiders, Draft Aireontae Ersery

Saints Snag Tyler Shough At No. 40
Brenton Doyle

Out For Personal Reasons On Friday
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Gary Payton II

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Jayson Tatum

Officially Available On Friday For Game 3 Against Magic
Will Smith

Back From Injury On Friday
Luke Kennard

Questionable For Game 4 On Saturday
Darius Garland

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Ja Morant

To Miss Game 4 On Saturday
Rui Hachimura

Available For Game 3 In Minnesota
Aaron Ekblad

Available To Return Saturday
Erik Swanson

Ryan Burr Progressing
Daulton Varsho

To Return On Tuesday At The Latest
Max Scherzer

Takes Positive Step On Friday
Aleksander Barkov

Questionable For Saturday
Gabriel Landeskog

Set For Larger Role In Game 4
Calvin Pickard

To Start Game 3 For Oilers
Randy Arozarena

Resting For First Time This Year
Jonas Siegenthaler

To Play Limited Minutes In Game 3
MLB

Red Sox-Guardians Game Postponed On Friday
Luke Hughes

Remains Out On Friday
MLB

Tigers-Orioles Postponed On Friday
Patrik Laine

A Game-Time Decision Friday
Yainer Diaz

Out On Friday Against Royals
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Hopes To Start Rehab Assignment Next Week
Salvador Perez

Sitting Out For First Time This Season
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 3 On Friday
Brendan Donovan

Back In Action On Friday
Jimmy Butler III

Could Miss Game 3 On Saturday
Coby Mayo

Getting On A Roll At Triple-A
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Cade Cunningham

Collects Double-Double In Loss
Jalen Brunson

Drops 30 Points In Game 3
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Victory
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF