This Possible Glimpse of a Glorious Future Is an Uplifting Moment for Lakerdom

Lakers are 9-15.  Getting to the playoffs is still doable, but it’s hard to be optimistic about it.  But their recent road win against the Sixers to snap a five-game losing streak makes my heart hopeful again for the Lakers’ future.

The Lakers led most of the game.  But the Sixers made a huge run in the fourth quarter. With the two teams tied at 104, and with eight seconds left, this happened…

Lakers win, 107-104!

As of writing, Brandon Ingram is averaging 16.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3 assists a game.  Good, but not exactly All-Star caliber.  I want more from him.  Kevin Durant, whom he’s being compared to, was registering 25.3 points and 6.5 rebounds a game as a sophomore.

Meanwhile, Lonzo Ball is averaging 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 7 assists, 1.4 steals, and one block a game – decent rookie numbers.  However, he’s only shooting 31.9% from the floor, 24.3% from behind the arc, and 50% from the free-throw line – abysmal!  Yes, he broke LeBron’s record of being the youngest to have ever recorded a triple-double in the NBA, and he has shown flashes of brilliance now and then.  But, during most games, he’s not particularly spectacular.  In addition, considering the huge hype for him and the opportunities being given to him, it can be said that his rookie campaign is currently a disappointment.  Not only is he not in the conversation for All-Rookie First Team at this point, much less Rookie of the Year, but he’s not even the Lakers’ best rookie – Kyle Kuzma is (might write something on him soon).  Sure, it’s premature to call him a bust early in his young career.  It’s still very much possible that he would turn out being a true superstar in the future.  After all, Kobe Bryant’s per-game rookie stats (7.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists) didn’t reflect how transcendent and great he would become (to be fair, this point isn’t completely valid as Kobe started out as part of the bench and his playing time was about half of what Lonzo is getting now).  But it’s really frustrating that he’s not like Magic Johnson or LeBron James or Ben Simmons: already a phenomenal, huge-impact player even as a rookie.  That’s what I wished he was.

But during this particular moment – Lonzo drove and drew the defense toward him, then smartly passed the ball to Ingram, who then knocked a dagger trey – I became in awe of this two.  The disappointment resulting from my impatience for their development melted away.  It was like a vision of what these two would be doing for the Lakers for years to come.

I don’t know.  In the end, this could turn out being just one play in one game.  But, honestly, as a Laker fan, it was almost like a sacred moment.  It was as if I had witnessed the birth of another legendary one-two punch in NBA history.

Another takeaway: in this game, Ingram scored 21 points, but also had to take the same amount of shots and on 33% shooting (7-of-21).  This wasn’t exactly in par with Ingram’s epic performance in the loss against the Warriors, where he dueled with Kevin Durant and held his own, ending up with a career-high 32 points on 57.1% shooting.  Nonetheless, he made the most important shot of the night.  And the best thing about it was his reaction afterwards…

Cold-blooded!   That nonchalant, it’s-no-big-deal look on his face is the same thing that players like Kobe and Kawhi Leonard have on their faces when hitting a big shot and coming through the clutch.  Very assassin-like.  If this means Ingram has the Black Mamba gene, then this is a marvelous development.

The constant losing is exasperating.  But on good wins like this, I truly find myself extremely loving this squad.  It seems unlikely, but I would like the Lakers to succeed with their current core – without adding an established superstar like LeBron James or Paul George to the mix.  I badly want to see Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, and Larry Nance, Jr. winning a championship together.