Pelicans news: Brandon Ingram talks about what happened last season with the Lakers.

Pelicans news: Brandon Ingram’s tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers has ended and he’s beginning a new chapter in his career with the New Orleans Pelicans. The former second-overall pick has been impressive so far this season, putting up 26.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in five games with his new team.

It wasn’t long ago when BI was being dubbed as the Lakers’ next superstar, especially when he was able to average close to 20 points per game while playing alongside four-time MVP LeBron James. The Purple and Gold actually had a nice start into the 2018-19 season, but injuries and trade rumors derailed their campaign and they ended up missing the playoffs.

Ingram shared his thoughts on what happened to the Lakers last season, and he said that a lot of their struggles happened because they were thinking of things that had nothing to do with playing basketball.

“People get caught up about thinking outside of basketball and what comes with it. L.A. wasn’t too fast for me. But we, the team, got caught up with all the extras that come with outside of basketball.”

The Lakers have always been known as a franchise that’s surrounded with drama, whether they’re competing for a championship or not. Last season was no different. A lot of people believe that the trade rumors that made it waves on social media impacted some of the players on that team, but BI said he wasn’t one of them.

“I had good people around me. I had a coach, [former Lakers assistant coach] Brian Keefe, who stayed on me all the time. I had a weight room trainer who stayed on me all the time. I just had good people around me. They would tell me to keep going. No matter what is going on, keep going.”

“I just take stuff differently. Trade rumors, whatever, I always know it is a business. To be in trade rumors, that means someone wants me in this league. I just continue to play hard. I have a routine that I meet every day. I know it was a process and I was going to get there. The process helped get me to where I wanted to be before the injury. I was on the up-and-up, I got hurt. But now I am in a good situation. Everything happens for a reason.

Ingram did keep playing until he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his shooting arm, which was removed after a successful surgery last March. After he was cleared to play, he immediately showed up and became one of the Pelicans’ best players.

But if Ingram has any takeaways during his time with the Lakers, it’s everything he learned while playing with a guy like LeBron.

“Just learning what it takes to be great. Just taking advantage of different situations on how can I be effective off the basketball. Off the ball. On the ball. Playing different positions.”

Ingram is no longer in the bright lights of LA, but he has a great opportunity to shine with the Pelicans. Now, he’s ready to take his game to a different level in New Orleans, and so far, he’s off to a good start.

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