with 45.2 second remaining on the clock to give LA a six-point advantage that held until the final buzzer. On the night, the former Kentucky Wildcat only missed two of his 11 field goal attempts, one of which was the forward's lone three-point attempt.

Without glossing over the defensive contribution of Nick Young, who earned a slightly surprising start on opening night, rookie Brandon Ingram played a mature 24 minutes considering the fresh faced 19-year-old experienced his first NBA game. The rookie made four of his six shots, scored his first NBA basket on a corner three-pointer and played stellar NBA-level defense.

Ingram played within the flow of the offense, and the 6-foot 8-inch former Duke Blue Devil even took on ball-handling duties as a point forward in his NBAdebut.

"When I got to the point guard position, it got a lot easier for me. I was making plays for my other teammates and plays for myself," Ingram said after the game.

After the game, Walton expressed his intention to use Ingram in the role in "every game," which reiterated the team's reliance on its young talent and, also, the special young talent the team possesses in the no. 2 overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft.

Ingram admitted that he felt relieved to get his first game out of the way, "I can come in and get better every single game, repeat what I've done before and be more aggressive."

While Ingram was on the court, his team netted plus-10 points, which spoke volumes about the youngster's ability to not