The Los Angeles Lakers are straddling the line between developing young players like Brandon Ingram while planning on pursuing multiple max free agents in the 2018 offseason.

Ingram is trying to stay focused on the present.

“I don’t think about it right now,” Ingram told USA TODAY Sports about who might come join them this summer. “I’m still trying to figure out who I am, still trying to figure out my identity and work hard and try to figure out who I’m going to be as a player in the NBA.

“We’re just trying to build with what we have right now. We know we have a young core that’s really talented, with good attitudes, good character, and that work hard every single day. I think talking with (Lakers president of basketball operations) Magic (Johnson) and (general manager) Rob (Pelinka) and (head coach) Luke (Walton), they’re up for the process, the process of what we’re building with all these young guys. We know that something bigger and better is going to come out of this.”

Ingram has frequently drawn comparison to Kevin Durant, who has become a mentor to him.

“I just saw myself (as) long, athletic, and could get to the rim (like Durant),” Ingram said. “He could shoot the ball. I used to shoot the ball a little bit, had the midrange game. He was one of the best scorers in college (at Texas). I watched him from Montrose Christian (High School), Oak Hill (High), everything.

“He tells me (that) if I need anything to talk to him. He’s always giving me advice, when I’ve been struggling coming into the preseason, and even last year. He’s just telling me to enjoy the process, to keep working, and keep building confidence every single day. That’s what I’m trying to do.”