New Orleans Pelicans: What should the starting five look like?

Brandon Ingram

Welcome to the first real controversial addition to this article. There will be some that say J.J. Redick should assume a starting position; Holiday did play 28 percent of his minutes at the three last season, which would allow Redick to take the starting two-guard role. There is a legitimate debate here, a civil war could even ensue amongst Pelicans fans—Gentry and company have a tough decision to make.

Here’s my perspective on the manner: What should the long-term goals for this team look like? Why potentially impede the growth of Ingram, who could be an integral member of the core moving forward?

There is a world where he comes off the bench in a point forward role and runs the offense in the 25-30 minutes of action a night he would more than likely see. But given how things transpired in Los Angeles, do you think he would be content in such a role? Maybe, maybe not, that’s the beautiful thing about this game—opinions vary.

It’s also worth noting that Ingram has started every game he’s been in over the past two seasons, he hasn’t come off the bench since his rookie campaign.

If the fit just isn’t working, then you revisit the starting rotation. However, come Game 1 of the season I would like to see how Ingram plays with the starters. Redick could come off the bench as a flamethrower, he’s done so in a previous stint in Orlando. It’s conceivable to believe he’d still get his looks in the 25+ minutes of action he would get.

But for this to happen, Ingram would have to instill confidence in the coaching staff. Areas such as shooting efficiency need refining. He did shoot 36 percent last year from the corner and 41.5 percent of his attempts came from that area. What I would mainly look for is consistency in that regard and a higher volume of attempts (1.8 3PA last season).

He would also be required to play more off-ball, Gentry and company would need to see strides in his offensive makeup to complement the team’s style of play. However, give the guy who has Giannis like strides to the hoop and overall tremendous upside a chance to prove he belongs with the starters.

His advanced metrics might not look pretty, but the situation in Laker land wasn’t exactly pretty either. He’s still 21-years-old, there’s still hope he reaches pre-draft potential.