16 draft

Joey Ramirez

Ivica Zubac cried at 4 a.m. while watching Kobe Bryant’s final game live in Croatia.

His first basketball jersey was Bryant’s, soon to be followed by Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Metta World Peace.

And now the 19-year-old is a member of the purple and gold — or, as he put it, the gold and purple.

In fact, Zubac — whom Los Angeles considered a top-20 pick — was praying for the teams ahead of the Lakers to pass on him

“I don’t care which number I am,” Zubac said in a conference call with the L.A. media. “I just care about being on a good fit for me and a great team with an amazing, legendary franchise. I couldn’t be happier right now.”

While Zubac’s love for the Lakers made for one of the better Draft Night moments, his potential as a 7-foot-1, 265-pound center has the team’s sights set solely on the future.

With a 7-foot-4 wingspan, Zubac has a frame that could translate well from the Adriatic League — where he averaged 10.9 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting 50.0 percent for Mega Leks — to the NBA.

He’s able to run the floor surprisingly well for such a mammoth prospect and has improved his post game and proficiency on the boards.

However, the Lakers know that there is a long way to go.

“He’s young and he’s big and he’s got skills,” General Manager Mitch Kupchak said. “He did remind me of NBA players that, in this league, have made it. But he is a young player. So if he continues to work hard and develop, he has a chance to stick in this league and be a good player.”

Kupchak wants Zubac to play for the Lakers’ Summer League team in July, though it may not happen since he is still under contract in Europe. He does, however, have an NBA opt-out clause that could allow him to play for L.A. this upcoming season.

Zubac wants to enter the NBA immediately and Kupchak says the Lakers “wouldn’t be opposed to that.”

Regardless of where he spends the 2016-17 season, the Lakers hope that their 32nd-overall pick makes strides in his game.

For example, he provides almost zero shooting, playing nearly exclusively around the basket on offense. However, Zubac did shoot 80.0 percent on free throws with Mega Leks and has a nice stroke that could translate into some mid-range touch with enough work.

“He started playing late, (has) a body that’s still developing,” Kupchak said. “You may say he’s not as fluid or … clearly still growing into his body and becoming more comfortable on certain parts of the court.”

Now that process continues as Zubac becomes part of the rebuilding process that comes with the retirement of his favorite player.

“My older friends and guys who I looked up to were all loving Kobe, so I started watching him and I really loved his killer instincts and his will to win the games,” Zubac said. “That’s really the most important thing in basketball. So I loved him from the first game that I watched him.”

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Lakers Seek Growth from 'Developing' Zubac

Scouts and media members applaud his ever-stretching wingspan and pinpoint shooting ability, but — even minutes after being drafted — his thin, 195-pound frame comes into question.

Ingram’s first interview as a Laker on Thursday included a comment about how skinny the 6-foot-9 18-year-old is.

But Ingram is fine with outsiders suggesting he pack on a few pounds.

“It just gives me motivation to show these guys that the skinny part doesn’t matter,” Ingram said in a conference call with the Los Angeles media. “It got me here today. I was the No. 2 pick, of course. Being skinny didn’t mean anything when I was battling each and every guy each and every night.”

Indeed, his frame didn’t stop him from averaging 17.3 points at Duke en route to being named ACC Freshman of the Year.

For what it’s worth, his new head coach, Luke Walton, didn’t express an ounce of worry about his lankiness.

“I don’t see concerns about his weight,” Walton said. “He’s young. He’ll naturally get stronger. Talking to some of the coaches that were here when he came and did his workout — even though he’s skinny, he had strength to him in the individual workout that he did. So that’s good to hear and that’s not a concern of mine.”

Ingram’s frame and knack for outside scoring has drawn comparisons to seven-time All-Star Kevin Durant, whom he grew up a “really, really big fan of.”

General Manager Mitch Kupchak acknowledged the “striking” similarities between the two, but cautioned that “Brandon has a long, long way to go” before he is on the level of the 2014 MVP.

However, Kupchak sees plenty of promise in the second-overall draft pick who shined at Duke, particularly in the NCAA Tournament, where he averaged 23.0 points on 45.1 percent shooting.

“He played big minutes,” Kupchak said. “He started in an excellent league with excellent competition. In that regard, there’s been a lot that’s already been proven. We look at him and his age and his body type and his willingness to work and be coached. We think (with) his upside and the potential in him — right now there is no ceiling on him.”

Walton — who only joined the team three days before Draft Night since he was part of Golden State’s playoff run as an assistant — saw that same capability in the highlights that the Lakers sent him and that he found online.

“You can tell pretty quickly, when a kid is that special, what he can do on a basketball court,” Walton said.

Walton called his length and skill set “very impressive and unique,” then zoned in on Ingram’s potential on the defensive end.

Though the two are extremely different players, Walton compared Ingram’s natural feel for defense to Draymond Green’s.

“It’s tough to coach,” Walton said. “Kids that are really good at it kind of have a knack for doing it. We have a kid up in Golden State, Draymond, who we didn’t coach to be such a phenomenal team defender. He just was because he sees the game like that. It means that the player’s pretty intelligent. And I think that Brandon fits that mold.”

Walton doesn’t expect Ingram — who took a few games to get comfortable in college — to immediately become the focal point of the Lakers’ offense, but he does see him gradually making more of an impact.

The former Blue Devil himself expects that his malleable game will benefit his teammates as well as himself.

“I think if I have a lot of attention on me, it gets other guys open, and I know all those guys work on different things in the offseason,” Ingram said. “I expect to see those guys’ numbers go up on their percentages, not just me.

“Being able to shoot the 3-ball — I know (Jordan) Clarkson can shoot the ball. D’Angelo Russell can shoot the ball and of course Anthony Brown can shoot the ball. Just seeing a lot of guys shoot the ball well. It’s not just my percentage going up. It’s everyone’s percentage going up.”

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Lakers, Ingram Look Toward Building Future

General Manager Mitch Kupchak came out of the 2016 NBA Draft having secured Brandon Ingram with the second-overall pick and Ivica Zubac with the 32nd.

Afterward, he met with the Los Angeles media to discuss the two new Lakers along with the draft process and immediate future.

Below is a transcription from the Lakers' practice facility in El Segundo.

Q: On his thoughts about 32nd pick Ivica Zubac:
Kupchak: We saw a young, big, developing player. When I was over there this year back in January or February, I watched him. He’s young and he’s big and he’s got skills. He did remind me of NBA players that, in this league, have made it. But he is a young player. So if he continues to work hard and develop, he has a chance to stick in this league and be a good player. But our knowledge of the European players is clearly not what it is to our knowledge of players in this country. We don’t see them as often and they play a different game: Fewer number of games, and in Europe the young players don’t play much. A lot of times the coaches over there will play the veteran players and the young players will hardly play at all, so you have to go to practice to scout a player who’s 19 years old. So you don’t get the same body of work to examine as you would in this country. It makes it a little more difficult, so you do rely on your international scout a little bit more than you would a domestic scout.

Q: On if Zubac will be on the Lakers’ roster next season:
Kupchak: I believe he would like to play next year and we wouldn’t be opposed to that.

Q: On the potential for Zubac to join their D-League affiliate, the Los Angeles D-Fenders:
Kupchak: Right now, the D-Fenders really aren’t in the equation in terms of this pick. It’s not something that was discussed. We hope to get him over to play in Summer League. We don’t know if that’s something we can do yet. As I mentioned, it’s not quite as easy with the European guys; logistics and contracts. I do believe he is under an existing contract, but he does have an NBA out. So can those kinds of things be addressed in the next 10 days? I’m not sure. But we would like to bring him over and get him to play in Summer League if that’s possible.

Q: On how much interest they showed Zubac:
Kupchak: We were in contact with all the representatives. There’s always an indication of who you like and who you don’t like. Certainly, his representative knew from the get-go that he’s a player that we liked. … I don’t know how that (interest) is translated to the player, but certainly going into the pick there was, from their point of view, an understanding that: “Hey, the Lakers might take you if you’re there.”

Q: On how much international scout Antonio Maceiras influenced the Lakers making this pick:
Kupchak: Antonio Maceiras is our international scout. And when I go to Europe, he arranges all the players and all the games for me to go see. As I mentioned, he arranged for me to go scout this player. We also looked at, for the last 10 days, film. There was a workout in New York last week with a bunch of international players, three or four of which were drafted in the first round today. There’s a body of ability that we try to assess. Sometimes it’s a workout that’s controlled by a representative. Sometimes it’s on film and sometimes it’s a practice and sometimes it’s a game and sometimes it’s relying on your scout. But without Antonio Maceiras, we would not have made this pick.

Q: On if he feels that the team got better with these picks:
Kupchak: I think we’ve added more talent. I do. Clearly we’re very happy with Brandon. The No. 2 pick, under most circumstances, is a player that’s gonna have an impact right away. It’s not a player that we anticipate won’t play. Clearly he’s gonna play and hopefully he’s productive and gets better quickly. Ivica, we don’t know that yet. There’s probably a bigger learning curve for him. And a lot of it has to do with Summer League and training camp and how he plays in front of our coach and how our coach wants to play and how quickly he comes along. I don’t think language skills are gonna be a problem with him. His English is pretty good. We’ve drafted players in the past where that was a hinderance: the language barrier. That’s not gonna be the case here

Q: On if he likes the team’s crop of young players:
Kupchak: We like the young Lakers core. It doesn’t mean we’re not gonna pursue some veteran leadership. When July 1 rolls around, I think we will. I think history tells you that a bunch of young guys on a team is probably not a good thing. They look around for leadership and advice from somebody who’s been through this a couple of times, and if there’s nobody to talk to then they really don’t know how to handle the situation. So I think we will look to add some veteran leadership and hopefully not only leadership, but guys who can help us win games. It’s unlikely that would come about trade, although it’s possible. But it’s more likely to come about through free agency.

Q: On how he sees the team’s approach to free agency:
Kupchak: It’s gonna depend on the free agent.

Q: On which players Zubac reminds him of:
Kupchak: I do have a couple players in mind, but I don’t want to share that with you to be honest with you. One of the guys I’m thinking about turned out to be a heck of a player, and I just don’t want to label that player.

Q: On Zubac’s style of play:
Kupchak: He started playing late, (has) a body that’s still developing. You may say he’s not as fluid or … clearly still growing into his body and becoming more comfortable on certain parts of the court. But we’ve been through drafting young players of size in the past. And I’m not comparing him to Andrew Bynum, but Andrew was 17 years old, (he was) big, long, gangly, almost clumsy at first. So that’s what you deal with when you deal with big men. I was a big player. You kind of develop late. That’s kind of what you’re dealing with when you have somebody who’s of that size, starting playing late, is still growing and developing into their body.

Q: On if he worries when the player he picks seems to have dropped in the draft:
Kupchak: All the general managers, after the draft, are very happy with the way the draft went. They’re always saying, “We though he’d be a first-round pick and he dropped and we didn’t think he’d be there and we’re ecstatic to draft him.” I think that’s just the nature of the business. … There’s always going to be somebody somewhere that drops or doesn’t take place the way you thought it would take place.  And every year we’re happy with who we draft. The reality is you have to wait a couple of years and look back on it and see if you were right: The guy should have been higher and he dropped  and you had him pegged correctly and you were happy to draft him at a lower number. So yes, we did think (Zubac) would be drafted higher. I don’t read many of the mock drafts. A lot of people do. I’m aware that he could have been drafted in the first round, and he almost was drafted in the first round. There were other guys right next him that we thought would be drafted and they went 20 slots past him. So I don’t know. … Were we wrong or was the mock draft wrong? We don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see. We did think he’d be gone earlier. We did think he’d be a first-round pick. But there’s so much that goes into the draft. You have 30 teams. They’re all trying to figure it out. A lot of times a team that’s definitely going to pick at 24 or 25 — a player they didn’t think was going to be available all of sudden is available — and they take that player. And then that one player they were going to take slides. Then they slide to a point where someone like us comes along and we have a pick available and we have a need at that position and we take him.

Q: On if he thinks the team will land a superstar free agent this year:
Kupchak: It might not be different. I think this year is different. In years passed, our team was different. We didn’t have nearly enough cap space as we do this year. I may have talked a couple of times about what we tried to sell a summer ago or two summers ago. We just didn’t have that much to sell in terms of: “Well, I’m going to come to Los Angeles. Whom am I going to play with?” Last summer was: “Well, you get to play with Kobe, but Kobe’s been injured.” “Is he going to be healthy, Mitch?” “Well, I don’t know that.” “Then who else am I going to play with?” “You’re going love playing with Julius Randle, but he only played one game. Then you’re going to love playing with the No. 2 pick who hasn’t played at all.” So we didn’t have as much to sell last year and the year before. And we only had enough money for one (max) player last year, too. So I think this year we have more to sell. We have Julius, D’Angelo (Russell), Jordan Clarkson, who’s a year further along, and Larry Nance, who unexpectedly had a good year. We added Lou Williams, who had a good year. Now we have the No. 2 pick and the No. 32 pick, who may be a good player and may not a good player. And on top of that, we had enough cap room to add multiple players of a maximum contract or add one player and save some money for next summer. Or maybe use all the money and divide it up between three and four players. So I think our asset allotment is better, and I think the circumstances are better.

Q: On how patient he plans to be with the development of his young players:
Kupchak: I don’t think there’s a plan in terms of: If it doesn’t work in a year from now, we’re going to break it up; O if we don’t win 36 games or 42 games or 48 games, it’s over. That’s not the plan at all. I think what we’d like to do is put together a group of players that are growing, fun to watch and improve as the season goes along. Clearly (we have) the intent to keep the interest of our supporters, fans, partners, TV, season-seat holders. You do have to win games. That doesn’t mean we have to win 40 or 45 or 50. It may not even mean you have to make the playoffs. I don’t know what it’s going to take to make the playoffs next year. Maybe you got to win 48 games to get into the West and we win 47 — or maybe we win 37. But as long as the team is fun to watch, our fans and our partners can see a team that’s growing and getting better as the season goes along — I think that’s the barometer that’s best for us.

Q: On if he thinks the team is heading in the right direction:
Kupchak: I do. We earned it a little bit. The past two years we’ve lost a lot of games No one really looked down on us and gave us a gift. We earned the last two No. 2 picks. It’s not like they gave it to us. But we did get lucky with the Lottery the last two years. So that was some luck. But I do feel like we have a lot more going for us this year than we did last year. And that’s not because it’s anything we did or didn’t do differently. It’s just the nature of this business.

Q: On if he knows who will be in the room during the pitch to free agents:
Kupchak: It depends. We do have a plan. I don’t think we’re going to have to rely on our partners as much as we have in the past. We can focus a little bit more on the basketball side of it, because we do have more to sell. The franchise and the city have always sold themselves. I’m not sure we’ll concentrate as much on that as we did last year. I think clearly myself, Jim (Buss), Luke (Walton). Depending on how quickly things move, there may be meetings or not be meetings. Things may be done quickly. They may take a week or two. There may not be face-to-face meetings. There may be a couple. It all depends on how quickly things move.

Q: On if he has signed any undrafted free agents:
Kupchak: Not yet. But I’m hoping we’re close. I’m expecting a call.

Q: On if they tried to buy a second-round pick:
Kupchak: We tried, yeah. It’s a mad house the last hour. You’re kind of chasing your tail trying to buy a pick. Everybody’s trying to buy picks. The team that you’re trying to buy a pick from says, “Well, if our guys there we’re going to use it. But if he’s not there, we’ll sell it. But we really don’t want to sell. We want a future pick. You’re not going to do it for a future pick? Well, this team offered us this.” That takes minutes then that pick is gone and you’re going down and you’re kind of just chasing it. So it’s nerve-wracking. The stakes aren’t nearly as high as the first round. So to some degree it’s kind of fun because you’re scrambling and it gets a little exciting. You’re trying to nail a player that you thought would be drafted and isn’t drafted. But we did not get anybody.

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Kupchak Reflects On 2016 Draft

It’s safe to say that Ivica Zubac is happy to have been picked by the Lakers with the No. 32 selection.

After taking the stage at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, the Croatia native spoke with the Los Angeles media via conference call about his experience on Draft Day and excitement to wear purple and gold.

Q: On being drafted by the Lakers:
Zubac: This is my dream come true. I cannot believe this is happening because the Lakers were my No.1 team since I started playing basketball. Kobe (Bryant) was my favorite player, so I’m so happy right now.

Q: On if he plans to play in the NBA next season:
Zubac: Yeah, that’s my goal and I think that’s gonna happen.

Q: On if he was surprised at being drafted 32nd:
Zubac: Yeah, because everybody was predicting that I was gonna go around 20 and my agent told me when it was, I think, the 23rd pick that we we’ve got the Lakers if nobody picks me before. I was praying nobody would select me before.

Q: On if he was happy he fell to the Lakers:
Zubac: I was so happy. I don’t care which number I am. I just care about being on a good fit for me and a great team with an amazing, legendary franchise. I couldn’t be happier right now.

Q: On his strengths:
Zubac: My strengths are back-to-the-basket, low-post game and protecting the paint and (my) passing ability.

Q: On certain comparisons to Marc Gasol:
Zubac: I like that comparison because I’m trying to look up to his game and trying to translate his game to mine with my moves. I’m just trying to get the best of his game and trying to do things.

Q: On how he has been able to watch Lakers games despite them being on so early in Croatia:
Zubac: Before this season, I watched a lot because this season I was on a pro team, so I didn’t really have time much. I was watching Kobe’s last game and that was at 4 a.m. in Croatia.

Q: On if he even considered playing for the Lakers when watching Bryant’s last game:
Zubac: No, I didn’t. But once the GM of the Lakers, Mitch Kupchak, was at our practice, I was hoping he was looking at me.

Q: On watching Bryant’s last game at 4 a.m.:
Zubac: Yeah, and my practice was at 10 a.m. … For Kobe’s last game, they were on Croatian national TV streaming that.

Q: On his meniscus injury from last fall:
Zubac: No, I had surgery on my foot and that was a stress fracture in my bone. At the beginning of this season, I had the sprained MCL on my right knee.

Q: On what made him such a fan of Bryant’s:
Zubac: My older friends and guys who I looked up to were all loving Kobe, so I started watching him and I really loved his killer instincts and his will to win the games. That’s really the most important thing in basketball. So I loved him from the first game that I watched him.

Q: On if he owns any Lakers clothing:
Zubac: Yeah, my first jersey was of Kobe Bryant, and I had Pau Gasol from the Lakers and Andrew Bynum.

Q: On when he plans to come to America:
Zubac: I want to come right away and I hope that’s gonna happen.

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Zubac 'So Happy' to Join Lakers

Shortly after being selected with the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft, Brandon Ingram spoke via conference call with the Los Angeles media about what it means for him to be going to the Lakers.

Below is a transcription with Ingram's thoughts on his Draft Day, joining L.A.'s roster and more:

Q: On how he feels about being drafted by the Lakers:
Ingram: I feel great. I just know going to this organization how I have to work extra hard to be with those guys and just try to come up and be as best as I can be.

Q: On if he has talked with his new coach, Luke Walton:
Ingram: I haven’t. I have talked to the GM (Mitch Kupchak), but I haven’t talked to the new coach. But I definitely will be talking to him soon.

Q: On if he knew he was going to be drafted with the second-overall pick:
Ingram: I definitely didn’t. But going into this draft, I knew it was a business-like thing. Getting there and my name being called second was definitely a dream come true.

Q: On how he thinks he will fit in with the current Lakers roster:
Ingram: I know Coach Walton is a players’ coach. Watching what he did for the Golden State Warriors was very amazing and great. I think you want to go in and make a big impact.

Q: On joining a team with other young players:
Ingram: I just know I’m going to be fitting into a mold with a lot of young guys. The young guys are ready to work and I just want to take them and help them and let them take me under their wing and teach me what I need to learn in the NBA to just help me be the best player I can be by getting them involved on the court.

Q: On his leadership qualities:
Ingram: Just my ability to be more vocal now. I think when I went into Duke I wasn’t vocal at all. And I just know that I learned from (Mike Krzyzewski) that I need to be a very vocal leader and not be afraid to talk and afraid to get on people when I’m playing.

Q: On going to dinner with the Lakers’ young core when he was in Los Angeles for his predraft workout:
Ingram: It was great. It was very comforting for me to be with those guys. Of course, it was very fun because I played with those guys a long time ago. I remember playing against D’Angelo Russell when I was younger, so it was very fun.

Q: On if he feels like developed a connection with his new teammates:
Ingram: Being out there, I made a good first impression. But I look forward to talking with those guys and playing with those guys. I’m really looking forward to going out to Los Angeles.

Q: On which team was his favorite growing up:
Ingram: Of course the Lakers, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Seattle SuperSonics when (Kevin Durant) got on.

Q: On what he thought of the Lakers’ and Kobe Bryant’s last season:
Ingram: That’s Kobe Bryant. He took no nights off and he had an amazing work ethic. I just hope I can be like him someday.

Q: On if he modeled any of his game after Durant’s considering their physical similarities:
Ingram: Most definitely. Growing up, I was a really, really big fan of Kevin Durant’s — a guy that has grown and grown and still has the ability that he has at his height is something that I think I have myself.

Q: On if it bothers him that some call him skinny:
Ingram: I don’t think it bothers me at all, actually. It just gives me motivation to show these guys that the skinny part doesn’t matter. It got me here today. I was the No. 2 pick, of course. Being skinny didn’t mean anything when I was battling each and every guy each and every night.

Q: On if he is bothered by not being drafted first overall:
Ingram: I don’t think I have a chip on my shoulder (for that). I know I have a chip on my shoulder for being doubted each and every day or just someone not believing me. I just want to prove people wrong. I don’t think I have a chip on my shoulder about not being No. 1.

Q: On if that chip has anything to do with being called skinny all his life:
Ingram: I think it’s just toughness. Just me having that determination to something then try to do it and succeed from a toughness standpoint. Just keep going off that and my confidence is sky-high.

Q: On what Krzyzewski has told him about the Lakers and Bryant:
Ingram: He actually hadn’t told me anything. He didn’t know where I was going to be drafted, but he talked with me every single day about different things about life and on the basketball floor.

Q: On what Draft Day was like for him:
Ingram: My day was very long. Just waking up in the morning and meeting with the Commissioner and having lunch and breakfast with the Commissioner. Coming over here to Barclays Center and waiting and being with the guys and just waiting to hear your name being called, going out to the green room and having Adam Silver talk to you a little bit and him finally saying the picks. Everything kind of felt long, but as I look at it now, it kind of flew by. I’m just very happy and feel very special to be in this moment.

Q: On if he has been contacted by his new teammates since being picked:
Ingram: Actually, I haven’t checked my phone yet. I have heard my phone buzz 200-300 times. I haven’t looked at it yet.

Q: On how he thinks he can help the Lakers:
Ingram: I think a lot. I think if I have a lot of attention on me, it gets other guys open, and I know all those guys work on different things in the offseason. I expect to see those guys’ numbers go up on their percentages, not just me. Being able to shoot the 3-ball — I know (Jordan) Clarkson can shoot the ball. D’Angelo Russell can shoot the ball and of course Anthony Brown can shoot the ball. Just seeing a lot of guys shoot the ball well. It’s not just my percentage going up. It’s everyone’s percentage going up.

Q: On his first impression during his Lakers predraft workout:
Ingram: I just thought it was a rich organization. I know when I first came in I told them that I wanted an organization that was based off of family. I know that there’s a lot of guys that come back to that and I just saw a lot of great players come from that organization. Coming into the organization, I just wanted to be a great player that came from there.

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Ingram Reacts to Lakers Selection

The Lakers decided to, literally, go big with their 32nd-overall pick at the 2016 NBA Draft, using the selection on 7-foot-1 center Ivica Zubac.

The 19-year-old Croatian played in his home country from 2013-16 for Zrinjevac and Cibona. He also helped the Croatian U19 National Team to a silver medal at the 2015 FIBA World Championship in Greece. He led his team with 12 points and 13 rebounds in the gold-medal match, though Croatia fell in overtime to the Untied States, 79-71.

Zubac played the last season for Mega Leks in the Adriatic League, where he averaged 10.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 22.5 minutes, while shooting 50.0 percent from the field.

A lifelong Lakers fan, he prides himself on his back-to-the-basket post game and ability to protect the paint. Though he only averaged 0.9 assists for Mega Leks, he considers his passing a strength as well.

At 265 pounds with a 7-foot-4 wingspan, Zubac has an imposing frame that he seeks to use to his advantage in the NBA.

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Lakers Draft Ivica Zubac with 32nd Overall Pick

The Lakers took another step into the future by drafting Duke’s Brandon Ingram with the No. 2 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Between selecting Ingram and using the 32nd pick, General Manager Mitch Kupchak and head coach Luke Walton gave their thoughts on the newest Laker.

Below is a transcription from the Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo:

Q: On comparisons between Ingram and Kevin Durant:
Kupchak: Obviously it’s unfair. I can see why people would make the comparison. I think they’re both gifted players. If you look at their time in college as freshmen, the similarities are striking in terms of size, body build and body type. But beyond that, Brandon has a long, long way to go. He’s got a lot of work in front of him. Having said that, we’re ecstatic to have him. He visited with us about 10 days ago, worked out in this gym. We had a couple of dinners with him and got to know him, so we’re pleased. I’m excited about having him in Los Angeles, and we’re hopeful we can get him here in a week, introduce him to (the media) and get him in Summer League.

Q: On if he received trade offers for the No. 2 pick:
Kupchak: As you might imagine, there’s a lot of interest in the No. 2 pick. Much was made about a so-called “cliff” between (picks) one and two, then a drop. That’s not always the case. There are a lot of good players in this draft. In particular if you looked at the top 10 players, it’s a very, very talented group. Brandon was the one that came in and visited. We didn’t know for sure until 10 minutes ago that Brandon would be available at No. 2. So up until 10 minutes ago, there was just a little bit of anticipation, although this is what was expected.

Q: On what the team saw from Ingram in his predraft workout:
Kupchak: The workouts were against nobody other than what we call a “1-on-0 workout.” We had our assistant coaches — some of whom were young enough to still play. So they participated in the workout and provided a little bit of a 2-on-2 kind of atmosphere. But (we measure) his skill level, his length, his athleticism — we do a lot more than just play; a lot of individual skills, ball handling up and down, running, shooting the ball. You can only see so much in 1-on-1, 2-on-2 against your assistant coaches. We also do a battery of physical testing — 8-10 different tests designed to establish quickness, foot speed, jumping — things that you might imagine would be important on the basketball court. We had two dinners. The first dinner was much more formal because it’s the first time we met him. But at the second dinner, five or six of our players showed up somewhat unannounced. We mentioned to them at this building that we were going to have dinner that evening. They were free to come and join us. And Julius (Randle), D’Angelo (Russell), Jordan (Clarkson), Anthony Brown and Larry Nance all showed up for dinner. And they all sat around Brandon and the older people moved to the other side of the room and the younger people kind of hung out together. It looked like they all got along well, so that was good.

Q: On moving on in the post-Kobe Bryant era:
Kupchak: Despite the fact that we’re losing an icon that’s been with us for 20 years, this is a new chapter going forward. We’re going to miss Kobe to no end. I still look back on it and it’s hard for me to imagine that he’s not going to be on our roster and not on my board in our office. Having said that, we have to move on and we have a new coach. We’re moving into a new facility about two blocks from here that’s going to make this facility look tiny. It’s going to be state-of-the-art. Our coaching staff and players got considerable experience last year. Brandon needs to work, get stronger and get himself progress as quick as possible. But I think the other players are ahead of schedule.

Q: On if there is one part of Ingram’s game that impressed Kupchak most:
Kupchak: I wouldn’t say there’s one thing. I guess if I had to pick one thing, it would be potential. We’re not picking a player that hasn’t played much and kind of came off the bench and you’re kind of trying to project what he may turn into — we’re picking a player that played at what some might say is a very established college basketball program.* He played big minutes. He started in an excellent league with excellent competition. In that regard, there’s been a lot that’s already been proven. We look at him and his age and his body type and his willingness to work and be coached. We think (with) his upside and the potential in him — right now there is no ceiling on him. But to date, he has had a pretty good career in a pretty good conference for a one-year player.

*Note: Kupchak went to North Carolina, the rival school of Duke.

Q: On why they didn’t trade the No. 2 pick:
Kupchak: Obviously there’s nothing that piqued our interest, although at this time of year teams are serious. They recognize that the second pick is valuable. Hopefully we’re not in this position again. And we realized that the pick is valuable. The third and fourth picks are valuable. On the way down, they get less and less valuable. But clearly at the top these picks have a lot of value. We listened. Yeah, there were a lot of calls. There’s nothing there that made sense for us to consider.

Q: On if the Lakers would have taken Ingram if they had the first pick:
Kupchak: It’s hard to say because we did not get the other player (Ben Simmons) to come in and work out for us. That’s something that we tried to do. And our feeling was that it may have been a commitment, so that would have been a nice thing for us to do, which would be to get him in here, work him out, interview and go to dinner with him twice and get some reassurance as to which direction we wanted to go. Going into it based on what we felt, we felt we would be very lucky to get Brandon into this city and this organization.

Q: On if he feels that they drafted the best player available:
Walton: We got the player that I wanted in the draft. I don’t know if he’s the best or not, but he’s the player I wanted for sure. What he has the potential of doing and what he can already do at his age with his length and skill set is very impressive and unique.

Q: On how much he was able to watch Ingram while coaching with Golden State during its playoff run:
Walton: I’ve seen him play in college games and the (NCAA) Tournament. I’ve seen some highlights that (the Lakers) sent me and some highlights on the internet. You can tell pretty quickly, when a kid is that special, what he can do on a basketball court.

Q: On if he sees Ingram as a potential leader:
Walton: I like it. It’s a very important aspect to what causes winning in this league. You need leadership. You need cohesiveness. You need chemistry. And everything I’ve heard about this kid — he brings all those to the table along with his skill set.

Q: On if he is the kind of player that the offense can be run through:
Walton: It’s too early to say that. I think eventually you can. But he’s coming in as a young kid in a man’s league. Obviously we’re gonna expect him to have an impact for us this season, but we’ll kind of take that as it goes.

Q: On concerns about him being too thin for the NBA:
Walton: I don’t see concerns about his weight. He’s young. He’ll naturally get stronger. Talking to some of the coaches that were here when he came and did his workout — even though he’s skinny, he had strength to him in the individual workout that he did. So that’s good to hear and that’s not a concern of mine.

Q: On how best to develop the Lakers’ young players:
Walton: Hard work. That’s how you succeed in anything. We’re going to put together a great staff here. We have young players that are talented and, from what I understand by talking to them in the three days that I’ve been here and watching them show up every day, even though it’s only June, getting there work in on the court and in the weight room, I expect them to get better individually and as a team.

Q: On what he expects from the Lakers’ young core:
Walton: I’m not putting expectations on it. It is a young core. I think this now gives us seven players under contract. So there’s a lot that still needs to be filled out. But to me, I’m putting the focus on how hard we’re working; how the staff is helping improve them individually; how we’re getting them to buy in the system and the culture that we’re trying to create here. Those are things that I feel if you focus on, the wins will just start coming.

Q: On what impressed him most about Ingram:
Walton: His ability to make reads on the court defensively is one of the favorite things I’ve seen him do. Whether that’s switching onto different players or coming on the weak side and blocking shots — a lot of that is timing. It’s tough to coach. Kids that are really good at it kind of have a knack for doing it. We have a kid up in Golden State, Draymond (Green), who we didn’t coach to be such a phenomenal team defender. He just was because he sees the game like that. It means that the player’s pretty intelligent. And I think that Brandon fits that mold.

Q: On the types of players he wants to put around the young core:
Walton: You need some vets for sure; some leadership on the court. Even if it’s vets that aren’t playing big minutes, as a coaching staff it’s our job to hold them accountable. As a player, you learn just as much if not more from the vets on your team when you’re young and trying to find your way on how to do things the right way and how to work and what should be done on long road trips to take care of yourself — and all these things. A lot of that comes from veteran leadership. I think that we will be searching out some guys like that. Obviously with the cap space we have, we’ll be searching out some All-Star caliber players as well. You kind of try to make a nice mixture of all that.

Q: On finding a balance with how many veterans to add:
Walton: There’s not an answer for that, I don’t think. I think it’s a feel thing. We’re going to stress competition here. We’re going to compete. If that means a young guy that we’re developing isn’t out there developing the way he should be, then he’s got to get out of the game. There’ s no reason to let someone develop if they’re not developing the right way. We’ll be sure to do that and do our best to win every game we’re in.

Q: On if it is easier to build a certain culture when most of the players are at a similar moment in their career:
Walton: I don’t know if it’s easier. This is obviously new for me, but it’s exciting. I know that much. I love the fact that we have young guys that are hungry and trying to prove themselves still. That’s exciting for me and I think it’s going to make this challenge and this journey fun.

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Kupchak, Walton Break Down Ingram Pick

The Lakers’ young core has officially grown by one key piece, as Los Angeles selected Brandon Ingram with the second-overall pick at the 2016 NBA Draft on Thursday.

The 6-foot-9 small forward averaged 17.3 points in his only year at Duke, tying Jahlil Okafor for the third-most by a freshman in program history. He also ranked sixth in his conference, which earned him honors of ACC Rookie of the Year and Second Team All-ACC.

With a 7-foot-3 wingspan that may have expanded since being measured in 2015, Ingram’s length helps him stand out on both sides of the floor.

Paired with a sweet shooting motion, his frame helped him hit 44.2 percent from the field and 41.0 percent on 3-pointers with the Blue Devils. He topped 20 points 14 times, which bolstered Duke, as it won on a dozen of those occasions.

Ingram — who is also hailed as an underrated passer — put his scoring on display at the NCAA Tournament, where he averaged 23.0 points on a 45.1 percent clip against North Carolina-Wilmington, Yale and Oregon.

On the other end, his size made him a plus defender in college, capable of swallowing up opposing wings or swatting shots like he did with six blocks against Virginia Tech on Jan. 9.

Like a pair of his new teammates, Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell, Ingram was selected to serve on the USA Select Team this summer, which will help the U.S. National Team prepare for the 2016 Olympics.

Prior to his stint with Duke, Ingram helped Kinston High capture the North Carolina State Championship in all four years, becoming the first player to ever do so. For his efforts, he was named a McDonald’s All-American and Parade All-American, while ESPN ranked him as the No. 3 recruit in the country.

Ingram joins Jerry West, Dave Meyers and Russell among the No. 2 picks in franchise history. Hall of Famers Magic Johnson and James Worthy were also chosen by L.A. in the top two.

The Philadelphia 76ers selected LSU forward Ben Simmons with the only pick before Ingram.