Can LeBron James and Brandon Ingram ever thrive together?

SAN JOSE, CA - OCTOBER 12: Kyle Kuzma #0 and LeBron James #23 talk to Brandon Ingram #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a pre-season game against the Golden State Warriors on October 12, 2018 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Whatever leap Lakers fans were hoping for from Brandon Ingram this season hasn’t yet come to fruition, despite an overall solid start for the team. More disturbingly, the comparison of Ingram’s statistics from when he plays alongside LeBron James versus when he doesn’t paints a troubling picture:

Brandon Ingram Per 36 minutes

LeBron Off the Court = 28.5 pts, 4.6 assts, 2.9 tovs, 61.8 TS%
LeBron On the Court = 15.4 pts, 1.9 assts, 2.8 tovs, 49.1 TS%

h/t to @DeleteThisPost for his help w/this.
— Laker Film Room (@LakerFilmRoom) November 26, 2018

Are the numbers presenting a slanted view or is there too small of a sample size to be meaningful? Or are there obstacles presented by the two playing together that might never be worked out?

To help answer that question, Pete Zayas (@LakerFilmRoom) joins the latest episode of Fastbreak Breakfast. Pete covers the Lakers as an analyst for The Athletic and for SBNation. In addition to tackling the thorny Ingram/James pairing, the following topics are covered:

Have Ingram and Lonzo Ball gone from “untouchable” in trade talks to being available?
With LeBron’s coaches seemingly always on the hot seat, how much leeway does Luke Walton have if the team begins to struggle? How much leeway should he be allowed to have to experiment?
Where does a healthy Rajon Rondo fit on this team? What is the Lakers’ best 5-man unit?
How is it remotely okay that James Jones gave away one of his players to a rival?

Fastbreak Breakfast is a podcast for serious NBA fans that is incredibly not serious. All episodes are available on Apple Podcasts and Soundcloud or any other major podcast service.

Music provided courtesy of New Man and Codaphonic.

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