Stats don’t lie — Brandon Ingram makes Lakers better on offense and defense

Since the All-Star Break, the Lakers have played four games with Brandon Ingram and 14 without him. There have been some significant statistical gaps in that time between when the Lakers have Ingram on the court and when the don’t.

The Laker aren’t scoring more with Ingram on the court, but their offensive and defensive ratings are both better with him than without him. While the Lakers’ overall offensive rating is 110.3 since the All-Star Break, it is 118.6 with Ingram on the court and 108.3 with him off it. Their overall defensive rating has been 106.5 — 107.2 with him off the court and 103.4 with him on it.

Defensive rating measures how many points a team allows per 100 possessions while offensive rating measures how many points a team scores per 100 possessions.

Ingram will miss Saturday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies. It will be the 11th game he has missed since suffering a groin strain on March 1. Ingram did some shooting after the Lakers landed in Memphis on Friday and was ruled out after that activity.

Ball looking for answers

As Lonzo Ball’s shooting has sagged in the past few weeks, the Lakers’ rookie point guard hasn’t been standing by ignoring the trend.

He has remained confident in taking open shots, but after games in which he has shot poorly, he spends time studying film to determine what went wrong.

“I look at the film, look at my feet, the way I’m holding my follow through and just try to fix it before next game,” Ball said.

Throughout the season, the Lakers have hesitated to discuss what they work on with Ball when it comes to his shooting mechanics. They have maintained, at least publicly, that they won’t alter his unorthodox shooting motion. But footwork and balance have been among things Ball has mentioned he’s worked on with Lakers assistant coach Miles Simon.

During the past seven games, Ball has made seven three-pointers – one in each game. He has attempted 48. During that stretch, Ball has noticed a bit of a trend with some of the shots he’s taken. But it’s not a big enough problem to properly explain the issue.

“Some of the time I’m not leaving my hand up, need to leave my hand up more,” Ball said. “But shots I’ve ben hitting my whole life, like I said. They’re just not going in right now.”

Team spirit

With the Lakers developmental affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, in Memphis for a game, the Lakers were able to send down Ivica Zubac and Thomas Bryant, both of whom were active for them in New Orleans on Thursday.

Zubac scored 24 points against the Memphis Hustle, with Lakers Coach Luke Walton and other members of the Lakers’ staff in attendance. The Lakers recalled Zubac after the game.

Travis Wear, who signed a full-time contract with the Lakers on Friday, also went as a spectator to support his former teammates.

Johnson checks out the tournament

Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson attended the NCAA tournament’s Midwest Regional in Omaha. He was shown during a television broadcast of Clemson’s game against Kansas. The second game of that regional featured Duke and Syracuse.

Johnson’s alma mater Michigan State was the third seed in that regional, but lost to Syracuse in the round of 32.

Up Next

LAKERS AT MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

When: Saturday, 5 p.m. PDT.

On Air: TV - Spectrum SportsNet, Spectrum Deportes; Radio - 710, 1330

Update: Memphis lost by 61 points to the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday. The last time the Lakers played a team that had been embarrassed in its previous game, they played the Orlando Magic. Eager to redeem themselves, the Magic dominated the Lakers.

tania.ganguli@latimes.com

Follow Tania Ganguli on Twitter @taniaganguli