Pelica Debrief
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New Orleans Pelicans: How important is 2019-2020 for Pels’ five former Duke Blue Devils ?

By Willie Lutz

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 29: Zion Williamson #1 and Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils celebrate following their game against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional Semifinals at Capital One Arena on March 29, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 29: Zion Williamson #1 and Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils celebrate following their game against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional Semifinals at Capital One Arena on March 29, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /
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New Orleans Pelicans
Brandon Ingram New Orleans Pelicans (Photo by Cassy Athena/Getty Images) /

2. Brandon Ingram – Class of 2016

Brandon Ingram was selected second overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2016, some calling him the next Kevin Durant. He’s struggled to live all the way up to the hype in the NBA, but is still a very good player in this league.

Ingram is 6’9″ with a 7’3″ wingspan, which is pretty great overall length for a small forward in this league. He does lack in weight, stepping on the scale around 190 LBS, which hurts his ability to play physical basketball against bigger defenders.

His three seasons in Los Angeles were far from bad and at times, it really looked like he was making a leap into the All-Star stratosphere. However, Ingram’s development seemed to take a hit last season when he was forced to play a smaller role next to LeBron James. It made sense, LeBron is the second-greatest player in the history of the sport and demands the ball in his hands; that model just doesn’t help someone like Ingram create with the rock at his highest potential.

Last season in Los Angeles, the creative forward scored 18.3 points per contest, averaging 5.1 rebounds and 3 rebounds over 51 games.

Instead of the drama-fueled Lakers, Ingram finds himself in a situation to develop alongside a bunch of young guys who all seem to love basketball.

While Ingram has the tape to prove he’s been a really good player in this league, he’s due for a new contract after the season, so his performance will gauge whether or not he’s going to be worth a max deal.

There’s also long-term injury concern for the young forward. He was sidelined for the final 19 games of last season when team doctors discovered dangerous blood clots in Ingram’s arm. Considering it’s such a scary injury, seeing how well Ingram has recovered will be an important situation to monitor to start the season.

There’s a chance Ingram and Williamson could be a dominant duo in the NBA if their development goes well in New Orleans. Ingram could prove his value to the franchise this season and sign a big deal, or it could go not so great leaving him to pack his bags in the offseason.

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