On just the second defensive possession of his NBA career, Brandon Ingram found himself alone with James Harden on the left wing.

Harden, one of the league’s premier shot creators, put the ball on his hip and then threw a no-look pass to the perimeter. He got it back seconds later, and immediately started to work Ingram with a bevy of jerky moves: a pump fake from three, a hard jab step to his left, a crossover dribble and then a fallaway jumper in the corner.

But Ingram stuck with him, the Staples Center crowd grew louder and louder as nearly six seconds ticked by, and Harden’s shot clanked off the rim and bounced out.

“I definitely did. I heard it,” Ingram said after the Lakers beat the Rockets, 120-116, on Wednesday night. “But I just try to compete.”


In his professional debut, Ingram notched nine points and three rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench. He also matched up with Harden on a handful of possessions, and the Rockets’ star provided a blueprint of what Ingram could possibly grow into down the road.

Harden made his first start at point guard — a switch made by former Lakers head coach Mike D’Antoni, who is in his first year leading the Rockets — and finished with 34 points, 17 assists and eight rebounds in 37 minutes. Ingram, who projects as a forward, played point guard for the majority of his minutes on Wednesday. Harden uses his 6-foot-5 frame to shield smaller defenders, create post-up jumpers and get a clean look at the offense in front of him. Ingram, who is a wiry 6-foot-9, has the potential to do the same.

“He’s a great basketball player, he has a great feel for the game and obviously he’ll be able to get that feel the more comfortable he becomes at this level, playing the wing and coming off pin-downs and all that,” Lakers Coach Luke Walton said after the game on Wednesday.

“But when you’re handling the ball, even when you’re not shooting, just making passes, it’s a great way to force you into the game, and he’s constantly making plays.”


Ingram is just 19 years old and will naturally experience growing pains this season. But he quickly flashed his offensive versatility against the Rockets, and Walton was encouraged by his play on both ends.

During the preseason, the Lakers plugged him at point guard to get him more involved in the offense. It turned out he was especially productive in the role, which led to Walton having him run the second unit on Wednesday.

With Ingram handling the ball, Jordan Clarkson and Lou Williams were able to work off the ball and seek scoring opportunities on the wing. Ingram also looked to score in the flow of the offense, and finished the first half with a short highlight reel. That included a corner three for his first professional points, an alley-oop dunk and a turnaround mid-range jumper as the shot clock ran out.

“I played the point guard position in high school so I feel very comfortable bringing the ball up the floor,” Ingram said. “It actually helps me get along in the game and just be more aggressive.”


On the other end was Harden, smoothly operating his way to game-highs in points and assists. Harden doesn’t let any amount of pressure disrupt his metronomic rhythm, and paced the Rockets by shooting 15 for 16 at the free-throw line. He earned most of his nine field goals by creating space with his body, which is something Ingram said he would like to emulate.

“Oh he’s a good player,” Ingram said. “He can score from anywhere on the floor.”

Except when isolated in the corner against the Lakers’ rangy rookie. It was just a tiny step for Ingram in a season that will be full of them.

“That had to be pretty cool for him,” Walton said of Ingram getting to match up with Harden. “The more opportunities he gets like that, I think the quicker he’ll adapt to this level.”


jesse.dougherty@latimes.com

Twitter: @dougherty_jesse

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