Fans of the Los Angeles Lakers who are hoping the team will pick Duke freshman forward Brandon Ingram in the 2016 NBA Draft received some good news in the latest report out of Philadelphia on Tuesday. Derek Bodner of Philadelphia magazine reports that "multiple sources with knowledge of the Sixers' thought process say it is LSU forward Ben Simmons who Colangelo is leaning toward selecting first overall in June 23rd's NBA draft."
This is the latest addition to the persistent reports that Philadelphia's front office values the playmaking power forward more than the sweet-shooting wing. The Lakers will do their due diligence on other prospects during the pre-draft process, but all signs point towards them not complicating things and taking Ingram with the second overall pick.
While the Duke product won't solve all of the Los Angeles' multitude of issues from last season, his three-point shooting should help unclog a Lakers' offense that ranked second to last in the league in 2016, scoring just 98.6 points per 100 possessions.
Ingram also projects to help the Lakers on defense at some point, although given that most rookies (and especially teenagers) don't make a difference on that end in year one it probably won't be next season. Still, Ingram is no consolation prize and given how well he fits with the Lakers' current roster, it's possible the team might value him more highly than Simmons anyway.
All stats per NBA.com You can follow this author on Twitter at @hmfaigen.