re: I tried to tell you guys about Brandon Ingram last year.

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Ingram was never a decent or great defender for the Lakers. He was ok at Duke, but that's a far cry from the NBA. He's always been below average in the NBA.

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Armed with fantastic height, length and foot speed, he has always been blessed with the physical measurements needed of a great perimeter defender, but simply has yet to fully capitalize on them — until now.

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”Being guarded by Brandon Ingram most of the game, I can’t even lie to you guys, those guys on the defensive end are unusual,” Irving told reporters. “Driving lanes that I see against every other team, they were closing down the lane.”

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"He's a lot better defensive player than I thought," Rondo said of the young player entering his third season. "You don't think much of him as a defensive player, at least I didn't, but for this team in particular it's big for us. He should lead us in steals, deflections, blocks. He can do it all. Switch 1 through 5. I'm very impressed by the way he plays defensively. He's only getting stronger.

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Ingram has significant potential as a shot-creator as well, as he's an impressive ball-handler at his size, showing terrific footwork, and big, rangy strides attacking off the dribble -: ©DraftExpress

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His footwork and timing can also be elite-level skills, like Carmelo Anthony's, and Ingram will undoubtedly be used at both forward positions on each end of the court. Meanwhile, his ability to shoot suggests he can play a role like Kawhi Leonard did as a rookie.

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And though not the most fundamentally sound defender, his spectacular length has translated to defensive playmaking—1.4 steals and 1.6 blocks per game.

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Ingram is much different than many young players because he really takes pride in trying to shut down opposing players. Going 100% on defense can take a player a long way, but add in Ingram’s speed and length and you have the recipe for an All-NBA defender.

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When all parts of Ingram connect on the court, it is mesmerizing. He blocks shots, reads defenses, nails pull-up jumpers, finds spaces and places to flow within a set.

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