Brandon Ingram (SG/SF, LAL) - NBA Waiver Wire Pickups

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OWNED IN: 46% Yahoo!

ANALYSIS: Brandon Ingram is full of potential, and the second overall pick in this year's draft is in a pretty nice spot with a Lakers team that has a nice mix of talent and experience. He hasn't been great so far this season, though, averaging 7.6 PTS with 0.6 3PM on 34.8 FG% and 70.8 FT%, 4.1 REB, 2.0 AST, 0.4 STL, 0.4 BLK and 1.4 TO in 27 minutes per outing.

Those stats wouldn't have him owned in 46% of Yahoo! leagues if fantasy owners weren’t aware of his upside. In his only year with Duke, he averaged 17.3 PTS with 2.2 3PM on 44.2 FG% and 68.2 FT% to go along with 6.8 REB, 2.0 AST, 1.1 STL, 1.4 BLK and 2.0 TO in 34.6 minutes per game. And while it's unrealistic to expect those kind of college stats to translate right into the NBA, one could expect him to get used to the change in pace and improve gradually. His game against Cleveland on Dec. 17 is what his owners are hoping for in the long run— he flirted with a triple-double, having scored nine points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out nine dimes.

His lack of defending stats have been alarming, with him not blocking a shot or stealing the ball in 10 straight games. He did have 0.6 steals and 0.6 blocks per game before that, though, so that should trend up in the following games. The Lakers are full of potential and developing that potential is high up in their goal list for this season and the future. That should warrant Ingram a solid place in the rotation and plenty of court time to improve and become what the Lakers were hoping for when they drafted him.