Brandon Ingram opens up on Lakers struggles; says he "lost his joy" in LA

Los Angeles Lakers' visit to the Smoothie King Arena was dominated by the fact that Anthony Davis was returning to his former side. While Anthony Davis did rack up 41 points on the night, the fact that another player was facing his former team that night went under the radar. Former Lakers small forward Brandon Ingram is the player in question. Ingram registered a 23-point display against the Lakers earlier this week. 

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Brandon Ingram was the former No. 2 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. After spending three seasons with the Lakers, Brandon Ingram, along with Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart, was traded to the Pelicans in a deal that saw Anthony Davis head the other way. Now, Brandon Ingram has opened up about his time with the LA Lakers after an interesting three-season spell with the Los Angeles-based side. 

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The now-Pelicans small forward said that he lost the joy of playing basketball when he found it difficult to push his way into the Lakers' system. Brandon Ingram continued by saying that he felt like he could do a lot more on the court and since he couldn't deliver on his potential, he also went through a bout of mental depression during his stint with the Lakers. Still only 22, it is fair to say that Brandon Ingram has a lot of years left in the NBA. Ingram had nothing bad to say about the Lakers and instead continued by saying that he got to live his dream of playing in the NBA and also counted himself fortunate to have played alongside Lakers star LeBron James, among the many other things he’s had during his first three years in the league.

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Brandon Ingram's numbers with the Pelicans

Brandon Ingram currently has an average of 14.7 points in the league. However, the former Lakers small forward is leading the Pelicans in scoring with 26.1 points, along with 7.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. In what his fourth season in the NBA, Brandon Ingram will hope that his performances with the Pelicans will see him become a player of the All-Star-caliber in the near future.

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