EL SEGUNDO — Once the Lakers gathered in the locker room, coach Luke Walton did not just express his displeasure with his team’s play.
He became so disgusted with the Lakers’ 30-point halftime deficit to the Clippers on Tuesday that he informed his starters they would begin the second half on the bench. Walton then turned to rookie forward Brandon Ingram.
“It (stinks) for you that you have to sit out, too,” Walton said. “You’re out there playing your tail off.”
Ingram had just 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting in 21 minutes, leaving Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell to openly question Walton’s tactic. As Russell said, “I don’t think he deserved that.”
Before Ingram finished with a team-leading 21 points and five rebounds while shooting 8 for 14 from the field against the Clippers, Walton found the normally quiet Ingram be just as incredulous.
“He looked mad, but he should’ve been mad,” Walton said. “I think he understood it.”
That’s because the Lakers (20-52) enter Friday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves (28-42) at Staples Center with Walton wanting Ingram to take on a bigger leadership role.
“It’s part of your responsibility to make sure everyone is ready to play,” Walton said. “It’s unfair that it happened for him with the way he was playing. I thought it was important to keep the message that this was about team first and individual second.”
After scheduling practice on a previously scheduled day off on Wednesday, Walton called Ingram’s effort “awesome.” Walton added Ingram “busted his tail” and finished first in most of the team’s sprints. Though Ingram has allowed his work habits to speak louder than his soft words, Walton wants Ingram to raise his voice.
“Even if you’re playing well yourself, we need more out of you. Grab someone by the jersey, lift your teammates up,” Walton said. “It was more his work ethic that allows him to be that guy. I don’t know how vocal he’s ever going to get. But we’re going to keep pushing him to keep seeing what we can get out of him with that side of the leadership role.”
Finger pointing
After the Lakers lost to Cleveland on Sunday by only five points, Walton told his players he “was really proud of the way they played.” Walton openly wondered if that praise contributed to the Lakers’ 24-point loss to the Clippers.
“Maybe that let up a little bit on that hunger and desire to get that win,” Walton said. “It shouldn’t be the case.”
Walton has praised his players even in losses if he feels they have shown growth in their play.
“That’s the message we give, but we still want to win a game,” Walton said. “We’ve been doing this for a long time. It’s nice to get rewarded with wins every once in a while.”
Taking attendance
Magic Johnson wished he could honor the Lakers’ past by attending Shaquille O’Neal’s statue unveiling on Friday outside of Staples Center. But as the Lakers’ president of basketball operations, Johnson wants to help the team’s future. So instead of attending O’Neal’s statue unveiling, Johnson will be in Michigan to scout the NCAA Tournament game between UCLA and Kentucky.
Injury update
Lakers center Timofey Mozgov missed the end of Wednesday’s practice after spraining his left ankle. Though the Lakers technically listed him as questionable for Friday’s game against Minnesota, Mozgov will not play after receiving healthy scratches in the past eight games. Walton has shut him down for the rest of the season to give more minutes to his younger players.
