Lakers News: Brandon Ingram Diagnosed with Concussion; Ruled Out vs. Kings

The Los Angeles Lakers will be without Brandon Ingram against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night at Staples Center after the second-year forward has been placed into the league's concussion protocol.

After the injury was initially described as a neck muscle contusion on Friday, the team announced Ingram was officially diagnosed with concussion-like symptoms after being evaluated on Saturday morning. Per league rules, he will miss Sunday's game.

He played 27 minutes in Friday's 124-122 overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, posting 12 points, six assists and three rebounds.

Ingram was just two games into a return from a 12-game absence because of a groin strain. He has also missed time this year because of quad and ankle injuries.

He has made big strides in his second season as a pro, averaging 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists. He is the team's second-leading scorer, just slightly behind Julius Randle (16.3).

The former No. 2 overall pick has seen both his overall shooting percentage (from 40.2 as a rookie to 47.0 this season) and three-point percentage (29.4 to 39.0) jump now that he has some experience under his belt. Of course, the 20-year-old still has plenty of time to fine-tune his game.

At 33-42, Los Angeles has already been eliminated from postseason contention. The playoffs were a pipe dream this season, with the 2017-18 goal of developing young players, like Ingram and Lonzo Ball. There have been impressive signs from the young talent this season, going from 16 games under .500 in the second half to pulling within five at one point.

Ingram has had a good showing this season, but with just seven meaningless games to play, the Lakers need to put his health first. There's no reason to rush him back to the court as the season wraps up. Making sure he enters the offseason as healthy as possible should be the top priority.