Brandon Ingram is trying to improve ‘everything’ about his game this summer

Former No. 2 overall pick Brandon Ingram looks primed to make another leap in his third season with the Los Angeles Lakers thanks in part to the arrival of LeBron James, but also because Ingram has been putting in the work this summer.

Whether it’s been in L.A. or his hometown of North Carolina, Ingram has managed to find a gym to get shots up. The 21-year-old has worked out with a few notable people this summer, including his mentor, two-time NBA All-Star Jerry Stackhouse, but arguably the most prominent trainer Ingram has linked up with is Micah Lancaster of I’m Possible Training.

In the past, Lancaster has worked with high-profile NBA players like Evan Turner, Avery Bradley, Kyrie Irving and most recently Victor Oladipo, who Lancaster trained leading up to Oladipo’s breakout season with the Indiana Pacers last year. Coincidence? For Ingram’s sake, let’s hope not.

We’ve already gotten sneak peeks at what Ingram has been working on with Lancaster thanks to a few videos posted by I’m Possible Training on YouTube earlier this summer, but in an interview on the Laker Film Room Podcast, Lancaster himself talked about Ingram’s well-rounded workout routine:

What I like about Brandon is that he wants to improve every facet of his game. I haven’t gotten the inkling that he’s trying to be role-focused. He really is trying to improve anything he can possibly improve ... For him, it’s becoming a multi-faceted player that doesn’t have any weaknesses, and so that’s just really nice about Brandon. He wants to improve his ball-handling, he wants to improve his shooting, he wants to improve his finishing, he wants to be able to do everything.

The front office made a conscious effort to build the roster with what they viewed as versatile players in free agency. Whether or not that paid off has yet to be seen, but Ingram seems to be following suit.

However, unlike the other players the Lakers signed this summer, Ingram will be expected to be the Robin to James’ Batman this season. Having worked with the aforementioned Irving and Mario Chalmers in the past, Lancaster might seem able to prepare Ingram for playing than most trainers can, but he’s also confident that Ingram can figure all that out on his own:

I think that he’s (Ingram) young enough right now to be able to mold into the experience of playing with LeBron, but I think with LeBron you have to be extremely patient, you kind of have to re-learn the game and how you have to adapt to his particular style. I think with Brandon’s skillsets, he has the ability now to be a spot-up shooter. He has the ability to get the ball in his hands and attack and find a bucket that way to take some pressure off of LeBron at times by being able to be a playmaker.

I think he very much has the ability to be a chameleon and do the various things that are needed of him, so I think that he’ll be just fine as long as he’s patient and allows himself to get a feel for what LeBron wants out of him and how to best play alongside him.

Playing alongside James can make or break a player, but from the sound of it, Ingram has what it takes to be one of the many players that have benefited from playing with the four-time league MVP.

You can follow this author on Twitter at @RadRivas.