New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram opened up recently about his time with the Los Angeles Lakers and how he lost his joy playing for one of the league’s most storied franchises.
The former No. 2 overall pick candidly revealed many of his thoughts via Bleacher Report’s Mirin Fader.
“I lost joy sometimes,” Ingram said of the time he was struggling to find himself in the Lakers system. “I only lost my joy because I felt like I could do more on the basketball court. I felt like I could help a little bit more. I felt like I could have been a little more involved in the offense. I could have been used a little bit better.”
Losing the joy of playing the game that he loved had to be difficult for Ingram, the fourth-year player who had shown flashes of brilliance as a Laker but would sometimes look lost on the court.
“I know how to play basketball, so why am I having bad practices?” Ingram thought to himself. “I went through a little mental depression. Going home to my apartment like, ‘F—, man. This isn’t me.’ I was trying to find myself. I had moments where I really felt like, ‘Damn, am I ever going to get out of this hole?’”
In his three seasons in L.A., Ingram averaged 13.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 31.7 minutes per game.
With the Pelicans this season, after playing 13 games so far, Ingram has nearly doubled his production with a nightly output of 26.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Based on his 2019-20 regular season performance, it looks like Ingram has found his joy once again.
As he gets set to play the Lakers for the first time since he was traded last June, Ingram will no doubt be extra motivated to play well against his old team.
