As the New Orleans Pelicans start training camp, they are trying to put their rocky offseason behind them and focus on basketball and Brandon Ingram looks ready to go.
Lost in the Zion Williamson injury news was the fact that Brandon Ingram looked noticeably bigger at media day and the first practice compared to this time last year, proof that he has been putting in the work in the weight room.
Here is a before/after picture of what he looked like at last year’s media day compared to now and there is a big difference (Just click to the second slide). It’s pretty obvious just from his Q&A from media day:
Compare that to this photo from his 2019 media day and you’ll see a stark difference in Brandon Ingram’s physique.
Some of this is just a natural part of getting older, but Ingram has obviously been putting in the work, which is a good sign for this season.
New Orleans Pelicans: Brandon Ingram needs to play bigger
Brandon Ingram needs to be better defensively this season and getting bigger and stronger will help.
Not only will additional strength help him from getting pushed around by power forwards, but it will also make him more able to withstand the rigors of an 82-game season, something he hasn’t done since his rookie season when he played 79 games.
Since then Ingram has maxed out at 62 games (his all-star season with the Pelicans) so hopefully he’ll be ready to be the Pels’ Iron Man this season, especially now that we know Zion Williamson may have to miss some of it.
His transformation reminds me a little of Kevin Durant, another guy who was lanky coming out of college but then slowly put on muscle year by year.
This is going to be a big season for Brandon Ingram, who looks physically and mentally ready for the challenge.