Expectations for the Los Angeles Lakers — in reality — remain low this season despite the arrival of second overall pick Lonzo Ball shining this summer. One player on the Lakers’ roster isn’t going to fix what’s wrong in Los Angeles, but the signs of progress are popping up as the upcoming season nears.
Lakers beat reporter Mike Trudell reported that Brandom Ingram has literally grown taller this summer according to what he’s seen from his workouts this summer. Trudell spoke on his radio show on Monday about the 20-year-old who’s officially listed at 6-foot-9, but Trudell thinks he’s bigger than that after a summer growth spurt.
“I think he’s at least 6’10”. He might be 6’11”,’ Trudell said on the Thompson and Trudell show on ESPN radio Los Angeles. “I think he might be 6’11”, if not 7 feet.”
The easy question here is, well, how? Did he drink a lot of milk? Is he a late bloomer? Did he have long period in traction or hanging upside down to elongate his spine? Is he some kind of shape-shifter that we should cast a wary but respectful eye on? It all remains unclear.
Trudell also said that Ingram has changed his shooting motion, which is something that sometimes happen when you’re suddenly tossing up shots from a different altitude. He’s also worked on his leg strength over the summer to get stronger.
“You’re just going to have to take my word for it for now until you watch him play,” Trudell said. “I think you’re going to be very pleasantly surprised to see Brandon Ingram.”
It really has been a summer of good news for the Lakers, who have seen Lonzo Ball live up to the immense hype he and his father LaVar garnered during the Draft process. Magic Johnson famously said the Lakers were back after their collective Las Vegas Summer League performance, but it really does seem like things are moving in the right direction for the young team.
If an improved, taller Ingram can be a factor for the Lakers, maybe the team is closer to being back than many think.
(via Bleacher Report)
