Sunday night was eventful one inside Staples Center, as the defending world champion Cleveland Cavaliers took on the young and hungry Los Angeles Lakers. With the Cavs resting their stars the night before against the L.A. Clippers, the prospect of the Cavs-Lakers game became an even more mouthwatering prospect as the stars were ready to go.
The contest did not disappoint, as the Lakers gave the Cavs everything they could in the hopes of taking down the champs. In the end, the Cavs turned up a gear in the fourth quarter and the Lakers couldn’t handle the defensive intensity as well as the advanced execution down the stretch. It was an entertaining encounter, which saw Lakers young gun D’Angelo Russell put up a career-high 40 points in 41 minutes, but Cavs superstar point guard Kyrie Irving wasn’t to be outdone, as he was incredible all night long dropping 46 points on the evening shooting 15-of-21 from the floor and 6-of-10 from three-point land.
The Cavs’ Big 3 of Irving, LeBron James, and Kevin Love set a Cavaliers franchise record for a trio, combining for 101 points with James pouring in 34 and Love 21, respectively.
Needless to say, the stars shone in L.A., but it was a future star that caught the attention of Cavs main man James, as Duke product Brandon Ingram left a lasting impression on the King via Serena Winters of Lakers Nation.
“Kid has a lot of talent. The more and more he plays, the more and more he is going to get more comfortable out there. He has the in-between game, can handle the ball. He shot a couple long balls out there tonight and that worked for him too. The more time you get on the floor, the better and better you become.”
Ingram finished with 18 points and six rebounds on the night, and at just 19 years of age, the future definitely looks bright for the slender small forward. Likened to scoring machine Kevin Durant, Ingram’s length and ability to shoot over people can prove to be his biggest strength as his career develops.
No one will ever be hyped quite like James himself was coming out of high school, but Ingram can take solace in knowing that the best player in the world understands the pressures he faces coming into the professional game as a high draft choice.
It’s not every day you get the attention of the King, and even rarer you get his approval. Before you know it, Ingram could be putting the league on notice if he maximizes his potential.