TORONTO — As the great sage of another generation once said, life moves pretty fast.

As I worried about potentially covering a game that featured a player older than me for the last time in my career — LeBron James can never retire — Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick was fielding questions about a former teammate Thursday night. Well, that’s what he gets for only taking a couple of years off between his playing career and coaching career.

Redick complimented the work ethic and skills of Brandon Ingram, with whom he played over his final two seasons in New Orleans. He spoke about how comfortable Ingram has looked in the midrange with the Toronto Raptors, after talk of turning him into a high-volume 3-point shooter waxed and waned during his time in Louisiana.

“The part that always gets underrated for these guys that don’t necessarily average like eight, nine assists, is their playmaking and their ability to pick defences apart,” Redick said, speaking of Ingram and Scottie Barnes before the Lakers beat the Raptors 123-120. “And it doesn’t always lead to an assist, but I think BI’s ability to read the game is at a really high level.”

On a night that will be remembered for a pass James made without hesitation, it is that comparatively lacking quality from Ingram that surfaced. Along with Ingram’s health, his shot selection and decision-making have kept him from being acknowledged as a consistent difference-maker during his career. After Ingram started the year on a heater from the midrange, he has tailed off over the last little while, shooting 57 for 130 from the field over the last six games. The Raptors have played those without RJ Barrett, who has a knee sprain.

Ingram’s ability to walk the shot taker/playmaker line will be crucial if he is going to make his time in Toronto count. It’s very much a work in progress right now.

Before Barrett’s injury, Ingram was using 25.5 percent of the Raptors’ possessions when he was on the floor. (Usage is when a player ends a possession with a shot, turnover or trip to the free-throw line.) That number had increased to 32.2 percent since Barrett has been out, heading into the Lakers game, and he took seven more field goals than any of his teammates against Los Angeles, without shooting a single free throw. He is taking a lot of tough shots, and his efficiency, whether because of that difficulty or some fatigue brought on by a busy schedule, has fallen.

Before the Ingram pile-on begins, the rest of the Raptors have to own their part of it. After his game winner against Indiana last week, many of his teammates spoke about the joy of getting the ball to Ingram in clutch situations and getting out of the way. It’s a fun sentiment, but it’s not a long-term plan. Ingram missed a makable layup attempt that would have put the Raptors ahead before James set up the game winner, but other possessions were much rougher, and they weren’t always his fault, even if he ended up with the miss in the box score.

“I thought with seven assists tonight, (Ingram) passed the ball really well,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said. “Some of those situations, we as a team put him in a tough situation when the clock is already running down. We’ve got to trust the team. … When it comes to those decisions, there is already room for improvement and making faster decisions.”

Though Redick might have been overly generous about Ingram’s vision, he is right in that he can make some nice reads, and he is not selfish. Against the Lakers, he set up the Raptors’ first bucket as a few defenders collapsed on him in the middle of the floor, allowing him to dump the ball off to a cutting Barnes for a dunk. He set up Ja’Kobe Walter similarly later in the half.

SCOTTIE SETTING THE TONE EARLY 😤🔥 pic.twitter.com/PbaCFtOLOL

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 5, 2025

Later, he caught a pass off balance near the end of the shot clock but kept the play alive long enough to kick it to Sandro Mamukelashvili. He is trying to play the right way. He will never be James in his precise shot-pass balance, but he’s pushing to improve.

MAMU LET THAT ONE RIP 🎯 pic.twitter.com/B6pTfcYrlv

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 5, 2025

The Raptors could really use Ingram making his decisions, whatever they might be, a tick sooner. As the Lakers began to send help toward him later in the game, Ingram was picking up his dribble and holding for a moment instead of making the next play right away. It’s unrealistic to expect Ingram’s processing to suddenly speed up, but he can get used to what his teammates are going to do in that situation, and his teammates can continue to move.

Rajaković is experimenting with putting more shooting around him. He used Gradey Dick and Jamison Battle together when either Ingram or Barnes wasn’t on the floor in an effort to get as much spacing around them as possible, living with the defensive sacrifices. The Raptors made 15 of their 37 3s against the Lakers, more than good enough to win.

Those guys, and the Raptors’ other shooters, have to hit their share of shots. In particular, set plays designed to get Ingram the ball have become sticky without Barrett. Against Portland on Tuesday, the Raptors wasted 10 seconds at a time trying to get Ingram open with off-ball screens. Those plays should get sharper as the year goes on, but Dick, Battle and Ja’Kobe Walter need to be threats to keep their defenders at home.

Alternatively, the off-ball movement has to be pristine, and the Raptors must learn when enough is enough, eschewing the called play for Ingram and having the handler attempt his own forward momentum while the shot clock is still friendly.

Barrett’s eventual return should help, as he moves without the ball as well as anyone on the team. More reps should improve things, too. Ingram and his teammates are trying to figure out the spatial equation, and they’re not there yet.