Duke Basketball: LeBron James update adds pressure on Brandon Ingram

Brandon Ingram played brilliantly Monday, but with Lebron James likely to be out longer than originally expected, the Lakers need consistent brilliance from the former Duke basketball player.

LeBron James may miss another month, according to OnSmash, due to what is now believed to be a sports hernia injury. This means that if the king is to have any hope of winning his fourth NBA championship this season, former Duke basketball star Brandon Ingram must play less like someone who is barely legal to drink and more like someone who is in his athletic prime.

Ingram played beyond his years on Monday night.

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The 21-year-old out of Kinston, N.C., who would be a senior at Duke had he not turned pro after one season, scored a season-high 29 points during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 107-97 win at the Dallas Mavericks. His point total was the second highest of his time as a professional and just three points shy of the career-high that he set last season.

He was 12-for-21 from the field against the Mavericks and also contributed six assists, three rebounds, and two steals.

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The Lakers are just 5.5 games out of first place — despite sitting eighth in the Western Conference with a 22-19 record and just a 2-5 mark since James took a seat on the bench indefinitely following what was originally thought to be a groin strain on Christmas Day. However, if they intend to climb the standings, they need even higher season-highs, as well as more consistent 20-plus outings, out of their third-year slender playmaker.

And they need his boosts sooner rather than later.

Ingram, who shined as a Blue Devil freshman before being the second guy to walk onto the stage at the 2016 NBA Draft, is averaging 16.5 points for the season, which is slightly better than his 16.1 clip last season. But his rebound average is down from a season ago. Same goes for his assists, steals, and shooting percentage — particularly from beyond the arc, where he is knocking down less than 30 percent of his tries after hitting nearly 40 percent last season.

Basically, the Lakers need Ingram to improve at the same rate he did from his first season in the NBA (averaged 9.4 points per game) to his second season.

If he is able to quickly flip the switch and James manages to return in a timely fashion, Los Angeles will pose a serious threat to be the last team standing in the Western Conference. If not — even though the team has other budding stars in Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball — the Lakers could be left out of the playoffs altogether.

Yes, that’s a lot of pressure to put on a 21-year-old.

But a 21-year-old who is capable of scoring 29 points in an NBA game is a 21-year-old who should be able to handle it.

Ingram and the LeBron-less Lakers’ next game is at home against the Detroit Pistons — featuring former Duke basketball sharpshooter Luke Kennard — on Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. EST (on ESPN).

Stay tuned to Ball Durham all season long for more updates of highlight performances from former Blue Devils in the NBA.