Los Angeles Lakers star Brandon Ingram has been officially diagnosed wit ha concussion and will now be placed in the league’s concussion protocol. While the Los Angeles Lakers are not in the playoff hunt, the injury will impact Lakers betting lines from game to game with the oddsmakers at BetDSI estimating a two-point difference on the point spread.
Ingram is currently second on the team in points per game at 16.1 but he also adds 5.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 0.78 steals. He’s one of the foundational pieces on the team and the Lakers have no performed particularly well when he’s been sidelined. To add some perspective, they are 33-42 overall on the season. They are 6-10 in the 16 games that he’s missed and are 27-32 otherwise.
The news doesn’t come at a good time as the Lakers have been fading over the last couple of weeks. They had looked like a young team that had turned the corner after the All-Star break, going 8-2 over a span of 10 games starting February 23rd. However, they have lost six of eight since then, including losses in two of their last three home games.
The Lakers have just seven games left on the schedule with home games against the Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets. They have just two road games left with visits to the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers to end the year (technically a road trip).
In terms of NBA fantasy, bettors will have to pick up Josh Hart immediately as he’s going to get playing time. Alex Caruso should also benefit with the backup duties but it’s Hart who is worth owning across the board. Hart doesn’t usually play much – just 16.7 minutes per game when he comes off the bench – but as a starter, he has been excellent for fantasy purposes. In 20 starts this season, he has averaged 11.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.9 threes, 2.0 assists and 0.9 steals in 30.9 minutes of action. That’s fairly useful in a number of categories across the board.
Keep an eye on the news to see if the Lakers bring back Ingram any time soon. With just a handful of games left, they might decide not to rush him back as there really isn’t much to gain.
