Pelicans: Here’s 14 things that defined Brandon Ingram’s first All-Star nod
By Willie Lutz
1. First and foremost, Brandon Ingram is averaging 24.9 points per game, which is 15th best in the league.
In a league coated in top-tier scoring talent during the most offensive-minded era in NBA history, Brandon Ingram is standing out as one of the better scorers in the game.
Ranking 15th in the league by averaging 24.9 points per game with a nice 54.4% effective field goal rate, Ingram is now one of the best scoring threats in the league, even on a Pelicans roster full of scoring talent.
Perhaps more impressive than his outright scoring has been Ingram’s leap as a three-point scorer this season with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Per Cleaning the Glass, Ingram’s 40% shooting rate from three puts him in the 83rd percentile among forwards, despite his 6.3 attempts per game from three only ranking in the 26th percentile among the group in looks from beyond the arc per contest.
2. Despite a lofty usage rate, Brandon Ingram has a robust 0.7 assists-to-usage ratio.
Clearly starting to find his way as a leading scorer in the NBA, the next step for Ingram’s offensive development is to refine his skills as a passer.
While he does sort of dominate the ball, owning a 28.8% usage rate, he’s done a really great job creating scores for the Pelicans offense when he does possess the rock.
The Pelicans look like a totally different team with Derrick Favors. Much better defensively—Hayes is just too raw to handle the heavy role. Nice chemistry on offense with Favors too. This play being an example. Love the pass off the dribble by Brandon Ingram, who also scored 31. pic.twitter.com/aaeVKn559b
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) December 26, 2019
Averaging a career-high 4.2 assists this season for the Pelicans, Ingram’s 0.7 assists-to-usage ratio ranks in the 91st percentile among forwards, which is really impressive.
Many of his feeds are coming on the interior, which is an interesting trend, as he clearly has a feel for feeding players like Jaxson Hayes and Derrick Favors clean looks after absorbing contact on drives.
3. After playing three seasons with the Lakers, many wondered if Ingram could ever reach his ceiling.
Spending the first few years of his career as a member of the Lakers was tough for Ingram, as he never fit into the culture of that team. After all, they’re quite the media spectacle for basically all 12 months of the calendar year.
Part of being a Laker is dealing with the constant media scrutiny, as every move a player makes is put under a microscope that’ll turn into talking points on First Take within 24 hours. Too often, people in Los Angeles media wondered if their incredibly young talent might just be average.
Now with the Pelicans, there seem to be fewer questions about Ingram’s floor and a lot more wondering how high Ingram could ascend.
Already one of the best 20-to-25 players in the game and a pretty clear All-Star, Ingram is developing into one of the more exciting players to follow in the league.