Los Angeles Lakers President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson has praised rising forward Brandon Ingram for his decision to stay in Las Vegas until the Summer League comes to an end.
Ingram suffered a cramp injury at the end of the Lakers opening game against city rivals Los Angeles Clippers, held on July 7. Though it was nothing serious, the team decided the 19-year-old won't see a second of action anymore as he was shut down for the rest of the competition.
The Purple and Gold played six more games in Sin City as the team went all the way to claim the championships after beating the Portland Trail Blazers in the final game on Monday.
Ingram was working out in the city regularly, all while following and cheering for his teammates in each game since the injury.
A five-time NBA champion and Lakers legend, Johnson was ''delighted'' with Ingram's actions.
''I wanna give a special shout-out to Brandon because he didn't have to stay,'' Johnson said during Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's introductory press conference. ''And he stayed that two week period to be with his teammates. That showed me the type of leader that he is and that he is going to become.''
Ingram was on course to dominate
Brandon Ingram was expected to lead the Los Angeles Lakers' campaign in Las Vegas -- but those plans were short lived -- as the team wanted to take no further risks after a cramp scare.
Losing Ingram was seen as a big blow to Lakers' chances of taking it all but an eager group of guys, led by rookies Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma, stepped up big time.
Ingram scored 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field in the opener against the Clippers before he suffered cramps. However, an unfortunate injury and the team's decision to be extra cautious prevented the Duke product to continue putting up notable performances in Las Vegas.
''That first game we saw that 20-something points...I don't know 29, 26...whatever it was,'' magic johnson added. ''So thank you for staying and being with your teammates -- that was important.''
Johnson lacks no expectations on Ingram
Magic Johnson has tipped Brandon Ingram to have a notable season as he expects the 19-year-old to really step up and showcase his enormous talent in the upcoming campaign.
Johnson believes that a recent guard signing, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, will help Ingram's game to take a positive step forward.
Ingram, the second overall pick of the 2016 NBA draft, has been working out regularly this offseason, trying to improve multiple segments of his game. He averaged 9.4 points on 40.2 field goal percentage during his rookie campaign.
''This guy (Ingram) gonna have a season that we all gonna be shaking our heads because this young man (Caldwell-Pope) will allow them to play a freer game and baskets will become easier,'' Johnson predicted.
