New Orleans Pelicans: Brandon Ingram is playing like an MVP candidate
The New Orleans Pelicans Brandon Ingram deserves to be in the MVP conversation.
Brandon Ingram had 31 points, six rebounds, and four assists in 35 minutes against the Toronto Raptors, and his decisive play down the stretch helped seal the win for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Ingram ended 2020 by being rightfully awarded this season’s inaugural Western Conference Player of the Week honor, but he could end his season with an entirely different award—the NBA’s Most Valuable Player—if he continues this standard of play.
Related Story. A 3-team trade with the Nets and Cavs for Larry Nance Jr.. light
Eric Bledsoe labeled Ingram as an early MVP after New Orleans’ win on Saturday. Of course, this must all be taken with a grain of salt. The New Olreans Pelicans have only played six games and, like we’ve discussed on here, there’s still a ways to go before Ingram’s MVP chances are indeed legit. Coming to a rigid conclusion right now would be asinine.
However, it must be acknowledged that last year’s Most Improved Player has improved yet again. This has been a trend throughout Ingram’s NBA career. He came out of Duke primarily as a scorer and then developed his ballhandling and playmaking under Luke Walton for the Los Angeles Lakers.
New Orleans Pelicans: Brandon Ingram’s evolution to MVP candidate
He gradually adjusted to the speed and power of the NBA despite his affable physique, no easy task given his status as a no. 2 pick under the demanding bright lights of the Staples Center.
When he arrived in New Orleans, Ingram greatly improved his three-point game. He went from taking 1.8 threes at a 33 percent clip to over six threes on nearly 40 percent. So far this season, he’s shown those numbers were not a fluke. He’s slightly upped his number of three-pointers again and is up to 42 percent from deep.
Ingram has gone from someone who looked okay taking a couple of threes a night to a genuine threat from beyond the arc. He can take and make both spot-up and pull-up threes. Ingram is a crafty shooter off the dribble, something which is even more apparent this season because of the space created when Steven Adams screens for him.
When defenders get caught on screens, Ingram can rise into his shot off the bounce. Only 16 percent of his twos have been assisted, showing that Ingram is a self-sufficient player even in a New Orleans Pelicans team stacked with playmaking. The fact that his scoring efficiency has gone up despite having the ball in his hands more speaks volumes.
One thing that’s important to note this season is the number of free throws Ingram is taking. He’s averaging almost an extra free throw attempt per game compared to last season. The Duke forward might be lanky, but he is increasingly comfortable taking it to the rack. Over the last five games, Ingram has attempted 10 or more free throws three times. The two times when he didn’t: a blowout loss against the Phoenix Suns and a blowout win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in which he was ejected.
Ingram is a massive part of Stan Van Gundy’s offense. There’s a big onus on him to make things happen for the New Orleans Pelicans on that end of the floor. Eventually, I’d like to see that pressure reduced a bit as the season goes on, but it’s only natural for an All-Star to carry a lot of that burden. We all know that Ingram can score, but his playmaking has also continued to develop.
Ingram is getting more assists while turning the ball over a bit less. He is showing more craft and nuance with his playmaking, such as the below skip pass to Josh Hart for a wide-open three. Ingram is a talented ballhandler who can get to his spots, but now he is really using his vision and height to see over defenses and execute the right reads.
He can operate in pick-and-roll, transition, and out of a live dribble. His capacity to create for others while sustaining his own offensive production would be valuable for any NBA team, let alone the Pelicans. After a slower start to his professional career than many expected, Ingram has blossomed into a player whose first All-Star appearance will not be his last.
Next. 5 Pelicans most likely to be traded before the deadline. dark
Many expected New Orleans to become Zion Williamson’s city after he was selected with the number one pick in the 2019 draft, but it is Ingram who’s letting the good times roll right now.