Lakers' Ingram receives veteran advice from Warriors' Iguodala
Entering the NBA as a 19-year-old rookie for one of the most storied franchises in league history could be intimidating for Brandon Ingram. Thankfully, several veterans have reached out to make his transition a tad smoother.
"Well, the NBA veterans that I've been around, they always try to help. Even guys from other teams," Ingram said during an appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on Monday. "When I played with the USA Select Team, all those guys giving me advice. Even guys playing pickup coming to the Lakers facility. (Including) Andre Iguodala."
The Golden State Warriors forward - the 2015 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player - plays the same position as Ingram, and has established himself as one of the league's elite perimeter defenders.
"I watch a lot of his play defensively. He's a great defensive guy," Ingram said of Iguodala. "I even text with him sometimes, and he just tells me it's going to be a process, but I have a chance to be special on the defensive end and offensive end."
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Iguodala is the perfect model of talent for Ingram to emulate, as they're both long wings who put the ball in the basket efficiently and wreak havoc defensively. During his year with the Duke Blue Devils, Ingram showed keen awareness in making switches while being an exceptional team defender - skills Iguodala has in spades.
"He's long. He has a 7-foot-3 wingspan. He's smart. He gets his hands on a lot of deflections, and he just plays the right way," Ingram said, when asked what makes Iguodala a great defender.
Ingram will see Iguodala for the first time when the 73-win Warriors visit Staples Center on Nov. 4.