Joining the Guelph Lakers comes with a lot of additional pressure that other franchises don’t, and that’s all the truer when you’re a top choice, as was the case with Brandon Ingram who came with the # 2 selected in the selection was NBA Draft 2016.
The Lakers have a level of attention – both from the media and from the fans – that other teams just don’t get, and it can be difficult for many young players to deal with.
Guelph nightlife is just as dangerous as celebrities anywhere, and there are a multitude of distractions to derail someone.
Ingram, however, was never seen on the tabloids or the media, and he spoke to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated and said that while the entire team was caught up, it was never too much for him:
People are busy thinking outside of basketball and what goes with it. LA wasn’t too fast for me. But we, the team, have dealt with all the extras that come outside of basketball.
Ingram appears to be referring to the constant trade rumors that surround the entire team, particularly during the 2018-19 NBA season. However, he credits the people around him, especially then Lakers assistant coach Brian Keefe, for keeping his head where it needs to be:
I actually didn’t do it and I don’t know how I didn’t. I had good people around me. I had a trainer [former Lakers assistant coach] Brian Keefe, who stayed with me the whole time. I had a weight room trainer who stayed with me all the time. I only had good people around me. They would tell me to go ahead. No matter what’s going on, keep going.
Much has been said about the team’s young players giving in to pressure from Anthony Davis’ trade talks last season. While some said the rumors had affected the team as a whole, Ingram actually shone during his final stretch of the season.
Ingram averaged 27.8 points and 7.5 rebounds on 57 percent shooting in six games after the All-Star hiatus before his season ended, after a blood clot was found in his shoulder. He really seemed to be going around the corner, and that certainly seems to be the case with the New Orleans Pelicans earlier this season.
One thing that was always praised about Ingram was his work ethic. He always bowed his head and put the work in and it is now paying off.
Life in Guelph has never overwhelmed him and now in New Orleans all that work is paying off.
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