Lakers News: Luke Walton Talks LA's Progression, Brandon Ingram's Emergence

The Los Angeles Lakers snapped a five-game losing streak Thursday night when they defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 107-104 on a Brandon Ingram three-pointer with less than one second remaining.

L.A. improved to 9-15 with the win, which is actually good for second in the Western Conference's Pacific Division behind only the Golden State Warriors and ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings.

Although Los Angeles is three games out of a playoff spot, head coach Luke Walton believes his team is making significant strides.

Even before Thursday's win, Walton discussed how this season feels different than last season's 26-56 campaign, according to Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times:

"I will continue to preach to you that it's not about wins and losses to us, but it still—it hurts to lose and it's tough to sleep after losses. But it doesn't hurt as bad this year because I can see where this team is and where this team is going and the individual progress that's being made.

"Those things that we're doing I truly believe as our young players grow and develop and turn into studs in this league, those are going to be the things that allow us to win consistently. It's, in a weird way, a little easier than it was last year."

Walton and Co. didn't have to feel the sting of a loss Thursday, as the Lakers prevailed despite blowing a 16-point lead.

They also did so in enemy territory, which has been an issue for the Lakers this season since they are just 3-8 away from home.

Per ESPN.com's Ohm Youngmisuk, Walton felt beating a quality team on the road was a major accomplishment for his young squad: "They really took a big step as far as winning in a tough—I mean that environment out there was awesome. It felt like a playoff game with how loud it was. But our guys did a great job of staying composed even once we started bleeding some points and finding a way to win that game."

Ingram was L.A.'s primary catalyst in the game, as he led the team with 21 points, while adding seven rebounds and six assists, including the game-winning shot, courtesy of the NBA's official Twitter account:

On the season, the 20-year-old small forward is averaging 16.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, which is a significant uptick from what he did as a rookie last season.

According to Joey Ramirez of Lakers.com, Walton believes Ingram's recent play is taking him to another level: "He's really taken some nice steps forward the last week or two as far as just his overall presence and his overall leadership on the practice court, the game court."

Ingram is tied for the team lead with rookie Kyle Kuzma in points per game, which bodes well for the Lakers as they continue to progress and mesh as a group.

Young players such as Ingram, Kuzma, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and Lonzo Ball have played a huge role on a team that has clearly made strides since last season.

L.A. still needs more development and may need to add another star or two before it can start thinking about the playoffs, but Thursday's win over the Sixers was potentially a preview of things to come.