How Zion Williamson’s return will affect Brandon Ingram

Brandon Ingram shooting more 3-pointers

Up until the CJ McCollum trade, Brandon Ingram was pretty much the epicenter of the Pelicans’ offense last season.

Most plays ran through him, and Ingram had the entire mid-range area to himself, which led to a ton of shots around the free-throw line and top of the key. Ingram is very effective from that range, but with Zion coming back, he’ll have to share that space.

Ingram’s 3-point frequency was way down last season, as he only shot 4.1 per game without Zion on the floor. He was over six attempts per game in his last full season with Zion, and I think we’ll see that number go back up once the two are back on the floor together.

Both Ingram and McCollum should benefit from the gravity Zion creates, as defenses cheat in to try and stop the big man, it’s going to leave plenty of open 3-point looks for Ingram, who can shoot over just about anyone, especially if the close-out is late.

Ingram had his best two seasons as a 3-point shooter with Zion in the lineup, and I think we can expect that trend to continue next season.

The Pelicans have one of the best young duos in the NBA and Willie Green is the perfect coach to figure out how to best utilize their talent.