Ball, Ingram Owned Up to Responsibilities All Season

By Kevin Ding - Senior Writer

What was missed most was obvious. It was made even plainer by Luke Walton lamenting his healthy players’ untimely turnovers.

The Lakers scored only 83 points and lost to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night without injured Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram. Of course their playmaking was missed.

Ball and Ingram create opportunities on offense for this team. Discounting late-season acquisition Isaiah Thomas, injured and out for the season, Ball (7.2) and Ingram (3.9) are the only players on this roster delivering at least 2 1/2 assists per game.

But saying their playmaking was missed is like saying after a heavy rain that sunshine was missed.

What’s more relevant is whether anyone acknowledges that they should’ve brought umbrellas and jackets to keep the team dry, as there is a grace in accepting responsibility for a mistake.

After the loss to the Kings on Sunday night, the acknowledgement that has regularly happened after Lakers defeats this season was noticeably absent. The accountability without Ball and Ingram on this night just wasn’t the same.

Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram watching from the sideline.

That’s not to say guys such as Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart and Julius Randle haven’t had their moments this season owning up to mistakes. They have. More than their share, in fact, as young NBA players.

The Lakers overall have been so accountable that it has felt like building toward something bigger. Plenty of guys have displayed plenty of maturity.

It’s just that Ball and Ingram have owned it. All season.

A matter-of-fact Ball takes responsibility for the shots he misses or the pace he hasn’t pushed enough. An introspective Ingram is counted on to soul-search (and video-surf the game film) for what he could’ve done better even if he has done an awful lot.

And in such accountability from Ball and Ingram, two players still not close to turning 21, the Lakers have established an identity.

It jibes with the culture of caring that Walton has built, having two young leaders who make mistakes and are secure enough in themselves to accept and learn from them.

As a result, there has been more stability and consistent competitiveness than can be rightly expected from this inexperienced a roster.