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Lakers Coach Luke Walton On Star Rookie Brandon Ingram

Ingram will play, but he won't be rushed

By JD King

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Duke v North Carolina Wilmington
PROVIDENCE, RI - MARCH 17: Brandon Ingram #14 of the Duke Blue Devils dribbles the ball in the second half against the North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks during the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Dunkin' Donuts Center on March 17, 2016 in Providence, Rhode Island.
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Luke Walton was an interesting player and he’s probably the most interesting new coach to come along in a while in the NBA. Son of hall of fame Bill Walton, Luke inherited some of his dad’s brilliance for the game and also has superior social skills.

He’ll be Brandon Ingram’s first NBA coach and he talked glowingly earlier about Ingram’s potential and demeanor. But he’s not going to rush him:

“You develop the young core by rewarding them when they play well. If there’s 10 games left in the season and out of the playoffs and there’s some vets that played long minutes all season, maybe you play all your young guys to finish out the season. But when you’re going through the season, you’re not doing anyone any favors just by playing young guys so they can play if they’re not out there playing the right way.”

Ingram will play, in other words, but not just for the sake of getting him on the floor.

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