When the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the New York Knicks last week, head coach Luke Walton challenged Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram, the team’s building blocks for the future, to show more “passion and fire.”
The following game, Ball and Ingram combined for 50 points on 20-35 shooting from the field, 10 rebounds, 11 assists and four steals to lead the Lakers to a win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Since then, their performances have been hit or miss, but Walton told Sam Amick of The Athletic that he doesn’t regret challenging his two young cornerstones, and said that he only did so because he believes they’re capable of stepping up and leading the Lakers:
Both Ball and Ingram will have plenty of opportunities to prove Walton right over the next few games, as LeBron James will reportedly miss at least the next two games and possibly several more weeks.
Carrying that type of responsibility at their age isn’t easy, especially in the loaded Western Conference, but it’s what Ball and Ingram have to do if they want to win games until James comes back.
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