Brandon Ingram should fully embrace help from Kevin Durant

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Brandon Ingram & Kevin Durant
Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram (14) tries to drive past the defense of Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant during the second half of an NBA preseason basketball game Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

Coming into the draft, Brandon Ingram was immediately being compared to former MVP, Kevin Durant. Size, length, and frail stature made these comparisons apparent. However, without stepping foot in the NBA yet, the on-court comparisons might have been too premature.

Durant came into the league as ‘the guy‘ in Seattle, instantly being donned the face of the franchise. Whereas, Ingram is entering a situation where he’s another young player amongst a solid young core that is building in Los Angeles. The rookie from Duke has a laid back persona and it relays to the court as he hasn’t quite been too aggressive in the Lakers first 6 games. He’s been passive and has just let the game come to him which isn’t a bad thing.

Although he hasn’t had the big breakout performance quite yet, its visible that the potential is there. And the same guy that he was compared to sees what he’s capable of and is willing to provide him with some guidance.

“I’ve seen the skills. I’ve seen the length, the effort and the competitiveness. He looks like a quiet, reserved and nonchalant kid. But when he steps in between the lines, he just wants to play,” Durant said. “I have nothing but good things to say and nothing but support for him. I’ll be here no matter what, trying to encourage him and helping him out through the process.”

This is something that would be wise for Brandon Ingram to fully take advantage of. The pointers and advice that he could grasp from Durant could elevate his game to another level. Ingram has the ability to stretch the floor and get to the basket but what I would love to see him learn from Durant is developing a back to the basket game.

Kevin Durant is great in the post and mid-post area where he fully uses his size to get buckets. He sees a lot of mismatches on a night to night basis so to have that versatility is a huge plus in his game.  Ingram is going to see a lot of the same situations playing at the forward position. He’s going to see vast variety of defenders but when he gets that quick match-up against someone smaller, he has to be able to take advantage. Durant utilizes his size and length well and to have someone who’s so similar and more than willing to help out is a huge blessing. I fully hope Brandon Ingram takes full advantage of Durant because it will definitely benefit his game in the long run.

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