Pelicans: Here’s 14 things that defined Brandon Ingram’s first All-Star nod

While it took him a few years to find his way in the NBA, Brandon Ingram put up a glowing first half for the New Orleans Pelicans and still has growing room.

It’s Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020, and while that date might not mean that much to some, to Brandon Ingram, it marks his seemingly improbable first appearance in the NBA All-Star Game. While it’s a well-deserved nomination, the rode to this point certainly wasn’t smooth travels.

Going through a pretty wild ride through the first three years of his professional career, Ingram is finding his way in his fourth year, his first as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Fitting comfortably into the up-tempo, perimeter-centric offense run by head coach Alvin Gentry, Ingram has become a leading man in New Orleans, even with the return of Zion Williamson last month.

Despite all the positivity surrounding the Pelicans at the moment, a year ago, Ingram wasn’t a sought-after piece for what this team saw in its future (a future that didn’t have its sights set on Zion either).

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One year ago in New Orleans, basketball wasn’t such an exciting topic, as much of the hoop talk around the city didn’t go much further than the lament surrounding the Anthony Davis situation.

At the time, many were frustrated by the seeming inevitability that Davis would wind up on the Los Angeles Lakers, sending two relatively raw prospects and a rotation-level bench player onto the roster in addition to draft compensation in exchange for one of the league’s best talents.

In the eight months since, many who follow the Pelicans have fallen in love with all three of Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball, and first-time All-Star Brandon Ingram.

While all three have are having nice premiere seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, Ingram is the one who’s stood out, as the team clearly trusts him about as much as Jrue Holiday with the rock in his hands.

It’s been an impressive season up to this point for Brandon Ingram so far, so let’s look at 14 things that made up the anatomy of his first All-Star nomination, representing the #14 he’s worn since his college days at Duke University.

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.

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.

4. Speaking of last season, his career was at risk a year ago due to a medical condition.

There was a lot that made Ingram’s time with the Los Angeles Lakers tenuous, but it took a really sad turn late last season just as the forward was picking up steam.

Averaging 20.5 points, 6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists while shooting 51.5% from the floor in 26 games after the New Year, Ingram was starting to pick up steam for the Lakers, but it wasn’t an effort that lasted very long.

After lighting up the Phoenix Suns for 25 points and 7 rebounds on 10-of-19 shooting on Mar. 2, it became apparent that Ingram had played his last game for the Lakers, as their medical team then discovered blood clots in the third-year player’s shoulder.

While at the time it seemed that his career could be over, Ingram let the process play out and was eventually cleared to return to basketball activities after the season. Now, he’s playing in his first NBA All-Star Game.

5. Once a lost part of his game, Brandon Ingram is now one of the best in the league at getting to the line.

Standing 6’7″ with just 190 LBS on his rail-thin frame, Ingram has started to make opponents pay by knocking down his free throws as he draws contact on drives.

Hitting 86.2% of his free throws this season, Ingram ranks in the 87th percentile from the stripe. A season ago in Los Angeles, he shot just 67.7% from that territory, which ranked in the 9th percentile… that’s quite the improvement in just a year.

While he’s always been able to absorb contact, working extensively on his shooting form with Fred Vinson has allowed Ingram to thrive from the free-throw line.

6. Ingram’s scoring efficiency is captivating. He averages 121 points per 100 shot attempts, which is damn good.

Watching Brandon Ingram with the ball in his hands can be a blast, as his ability to score at all three levels makes him a constant threat with the ball in his hands.

Ranking in the 85th percentile among his position group, his 121 points per 100 shot attempts highlights what’s been an incredible scoring season for Brandon Ingram.

Much of the buzz around the league right now comes from the small-ball Houston Rockets, who’ve essentially cut any non-perimeter players from their lineups, which has forced the team to pick shooting over length.

However, Ingram is making mid-range jump shots look sexy in New Orleans, as he 41% shooting rate from that territory has proven effective. Further, his 40% rate on long midrange looks ranks in the 71st percentile.

7. Perhaps due to his existing chemistry with Lonzo Ball, the ball moves better for the Pelicans with Brandon Ingram on the floor (statistically).

Coming over to the New Orleans Pelicans alongside his creative teammate, Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram clearly have a connection on the basketball court.

When the two share the floor, the Pelicans quickly become a swiss army knife, as the two both have a ton of different skills that are just augmented when combined on the hardwood.

Lonzo is a big part of the reason Ingram ranks in the 91st percentile in shots made on assisted baskets, as 20% of his looks are being set up by teammates.

Perhaps Ingram’s presence alone is enough to smooth the Pelicans offense, as the team is +0.3 points better on offense with him on the floor and turn the ball over 0.7 less, which ranks in a very nice 69th percentile among small forwards.

8. Alvin Gentry trusts Ingram in the clutch, which has been a successful conclusion.

While it hasn’t yielded perfect results throughout, the New Orleans Pelicans are empowering Brandon Ingram to take the team’s biggest shots in the biggest moments of games.

Fans will be quick to recall his career-high 49-point effort against the Utah Jazz in a game where he went toe-to-toe with Donovan Mitchell.

It was also in a game where the Pelicans snapped Utah’s ten-game winning streak, a stretch when the Jazz looked like one of the toughest knock-outs.

Ingram has been solid in clutch situations, where he’s averaging a team-high 2.5 points and shooting 33.3 from three-point range in the final five minutes of games with less than 5 points of separation.

When looking at how other star players perform in similar situations, Ingram’s line holds up with the best.

For comparison, Luka Dončić averages 2.7 points and shoots 18.5% from three in the same situations, while Kawhi Leonard averages 2.9 points and shoots 14.3% from three.

In tight moments, Ingram hasn’t been perfect, but at the very least he’s basically matching the production of other star players when the lights shine brightest.

9. Ingram’s willingness to take an altered role in the offense when Zion Williamson was impressive and encouraging.

Changing an offense in the middle of the season is never an easy task, which is why it was somewhat predictable to see Brandon Ingram initially shrink when Zion Williamson returned to the court.

Despite choppy waters in the first three or four games, Ingram has quickly adapted and is now even more efficient when on the floor, even though some of his touches are being vultured by Williamson (who certainly deserves plentiful touches in his own right).

What’s been so impressive to watch is Ingram’s willingness as an on-ball player to be a playmaker for Zion.

The two are probably the most important wheels for the New Orleans Pelicans future, so seeing them creating for each other has been quite an exciting feat.

When they share the court, the Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, the Pelicans have been really great, as the duo has a +7.3 net rating in 134 minutes.

Their pairing on defense is particularly stifling, as they’re rating on that end of 98.7 is the third-best on the team in combination with over 100 minutes of runtime. The two duos ahead of them both include Williamson, just with Derrick Favors and Lonzo Ball instead of Ingram.

10. His durag collection is awesome and it couldn’t fit his vibe any better.

Never a fit for the limelight in Los Angeles, Brandon Ingram seems to care less about the flashy things many players around the league collect, like flashy cars, jewelry, or watches (J.J. Redick used to have this obsession in a bad way).

Instead, Ingram owns a collection of roughly 150 durags, a habit that started during his days of growing up in the simple community in his native Kinston, North Carolina.

"“I’m trying to get a sponsorship. I think I got to put it on Instagram or something,” Ingram told Michael Lee of The Athletic about his durag obesssion."

There’s something charming about Ingram’s habit for the accessory, as his humble, laid-back demeanor never fit with the look-centric Los Angeles scene.

11. Brandon Ingram hates flopping.

Speaking to media members as a part of All-Star Weekend in Chicago, Ingram expressed his discontent with the proliferation of players around the league awkwardly contorting their body to draw the attention of referees.

While we don’t know anything about the relationship between the league’s flopper-in-chief in James Harden, the Pelicans’ All-Star certainly seems to have an opinion on the art the Houston Rockets’ star has harnessed into an MVP trophy.

12. “Kevin Dura… I mean Brandon Ingram”

Selected to be a part of Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s team for the 2020 NBA All-Star Game, the thin Ingram was dressed with quite a few kind words from the league’s reigning Most Valuable Player upon the pick.

The comparisons to Kevin Durant aren’t new, as both possess the same lanky frames that somehow pack enough muscle to allow the forwards to work their way into the paint. However, with Ingram only getting better as a scorer, the comparison holds more truth than ever.

Receiving an All-Star nod from Durant on Twitter in January, Ingram is starting to pick up more praise from a player Pelicans fans hope their first-time All-Star can become in a few seasons.

13. While Ingram’s defense isn’t what it was with the Lakers, he’s showing signs of becoming a better two-way player

If there was anything that Brandon Ingram did well with the Lakers, it was showing the capability to be a really good defender of multiple positions.

This year for the Pelicans, his defense has underwhelmed a bit, as the team gives up +3.9 more points and allows teams to shoot +1.4% better from the floor when Ingram’s on the court.

However, it’s hard to give too much condemnation for Ingram’s defense without context for the rest of his team’s defensive struggles. The Pelicans started the season as one of the worst defensive units, though their 112.2 defensive rating is now just below average at 23rd in the NBA.

While it hasn’t been all rainbows on that for Ingram, he’s started to show a lot more poise when guarding bigs in particular, as his 1% block rate ranks in the 72nd percentile and his 2.8% foul rate ranks in the 74th percentile.

To put it in simple terms, while teams have been able to score on the Pelicans, Brandon Ingram isn’t allowing any free looks at the rim. He needs to make greater strides on that end but considering his age, his clear desire to defend is encouraging on its own.

14. Perhaps more important than anything else, Brandon Ingram has found peace in New Orleans.

Following in a similar vein to the durag discussion, the city of New Orleans just seems like a much better place for Brandon Ingram to play his professional basketball than Los Angeles.

Drafted with the second overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Ingram was the first player to move into Kobe Bryant‘s locker after the greatest Laker of all-time retired following the prior season.

Coming into the league with a lot of pressure to perform right away, Ingram understandably struggled to be the next-big-thing for Los Angeles Lakers basketball and that challenge just got harder when the team brought LeBron James into their mix.

Now playing alongside a really kind group of human beings with the New Orleans Pelicans, Ingram is in a world that’s dramatically calmed. The 22-year-old can be himself in the Southern city that reminds him of his native North Carolina.

While Ingram is an incredibly hard worker and put the time in to be a great player in Los Angeles, the scene in New Orleans has given him a lot more room to be himself, which is best for someone as introverted as Brandon Ingram.