The New Orleans Pelicans picked up their third win in four games as Brandon Ingram made a good Nuggets defense look completely lost for answers.
After taking a tumble to the bottom of the conference, the New Orleans Pelicans seem to be finding their footing. However, if there’s been one constant this season, it’s been the night-in and night-out brilliance of fourth-year forward Brandon Ingram.
Last night’s win was huge on multiple levels, the primary being that the team has now toppled three quality Western Conference opponents on their four-game road trip, rounded-out by their 112-100 victory against the Denver Nuggets on Christmas Day.
The more exciting development is the clarity Brandon Ingram has provided for his All-Star Game campaign, as the 22-year-old keeps making good defenses look bad.
Going toe-to-toe with the slower-footed, but nevertheless All-Star forward Paul Millsap for much of last night’s game, Ingram finished with an easy 31 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.
During his 36 minutes of action on Christmas night, Ingram was clearly the best player on the court for either team, even against on of the league’s finest bigs in Nikola Jokić, as it seemed every time he touched the rock, the ball was headed for the bottom of the net.
Brandon Ingram, at this point, is clearly an All-Star in my mind. He keeps posting high-level performances and is starting to find his defensive footing. Ingram’s 31 points and 7 boards on 7/9 from three was an unforgettable Christmas statement.
— Willie Lutz (@willie_lutz) December 26, 2019
Ingram’s dominant performance was boosted by his 11-of-18 shooting performance, but really his 7-of-9 performance from three-point range, a career-high in perimeter makes.
All season long, Brandon Ingram has been a deadly weapon from three-point territory, as the long-armed, 6-foot-9 forward can shoot over just about anyone. Clanking in 41% of his 5.8 three-point attempts per contest, Ingram is just getting more efficient from deep.
Some of Ingram’s threes, but really a lot of his makes in general, come with impeccable timing, as he’s continually found a way to sink shots when the Pelicans need them most.
B.I. 👌🤫 pic.twitter.com/93gz3n469G
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 26, 2019
On the Pelicans crucial four-game road trip, one that started with the team’s first win in 13 games against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Ingram is averaging 27.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while shooting 46.2% from three.
So far this season, Ingram is averaging 25.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, while posting a super impressive 60.3% true shooting percentage.
While his team stands 9-23 and in 14th in the Western Conference, Ingram continues to shine in big moments, not shying to the light even for a second, no matter the time or opponent.
Throughout the season, Alvin Gentry has been able to trust Ingram more than most of the Pelicans, as the forward continues to come through in the most important spots for the team.
Be it a crucial game or in late scoring opportunities, Brandon Ingram has been the guy for the New Orleans Pelicans, even more than Jrue Holiday, who the team expected to be their go-to guy in big spots when the organization set pre-season expectations.
Clearly becoming more than just a scorer, Ingram’s offensive brilliance is being met with his own resurgence on the defensive end.
Starting the year close to the league’s worst defense, perhaps the worst outside of the injury-fraught Golden State Warriors, the Pelicans are showing a heck of a lot more ability to stop the ball.
Over the last handful of games, the New Orleans Pelicans have been one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. In the last five games, no opposing team has passed the 110-point mark against what’s still a unit with the 24th-ranked defensive rating in the NBA.
Granted, a lot of the team’s defensive ingenuity should be credited to Derrick Favors, who really brought this team back from the dead when he returned the rotation earlier this month.
Seemingly going hand-in-hand with the team’s growth on the defensive side of the court, Brandon Ingram looks to have found a lot of the same defensive prowess he once displayed during his time with the Lakers.
On the season, Ingram does own a fine 112 defensive rating and opponents shot 45.5% against the forward, but since Derrick Favors returned on Dec. 13, those numbers are down to a 108 rating and 43.4% opponent field goal percentage.
Also since the Favors return, Ingram is averaging 1.3 steals and is averaging 12.6 points off opponent turnovers, creating all kinds of issues for opposing offenses.
If the New Orleans Pelicans had any hope of a turn-around before the return of Zion Williamson early next year, it had to come on the defensive end of the floor.
With a charge led in part by one of their franchise’s most important young players, the emergence of Brandon Ingram as a two-way star can help create an atmosphere needed for this squad to make a playoff run.
Continuing to play good basketball will be important heading into the new year, but for now, there’s a lot to like in the New Orleans Pelicans world at the moment, especially after a huge road win on Christmas Day.
While both Brandon Ingram and the New Orleans Pelicans as a whole will need to continue to seek a path towards consistency, there’s plenty of reasons for positivity headed into 2020 for the organization. Boosted by Ingram’s impressive season, it appears the Pelicans are trending in the right direction as the decade turns.