After four straight seasons of sitting out the playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers are going to need to get better fast if they hope to turn things around next year. While they will hope to keep their top-three protected first-round draft pick in the lottery and will also explore free agency and trades, much will depend upon the development of the Lakers’ young core. D’Angelo Russell is arguably the team’s best player, but much of the burden of getting the team back on track will depend upon the growth of young forward Brandon Ingram.
When the Lakers drafted Ingram out of Duke last summer, it was clear that he was going to take some time to get accustomed to the NBA.