New Orleans Pelicans Brandon Ingram is serving his country

It looks like New Orleans Pelicans All-Star forward Brandon Ingram will be representing his country, playing for Team USA’s FIBA World Cup team this summer in the Philippines.

As the tweet suggests, Ingram will be joined by Memphis Grizzlies All-Star forward and reigning Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) Jaren Jackson Jr.

Along with Jackson and Ingram, other players who have committed to participating include Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star guard Anthony Edwards, Indiana Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton, Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves, Brooklyn Nets small forward Mikal Bridges, New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, and Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis.

While it is up for debate, Ingram has a case for being the best player in that group we just named. The current version of The Ringer’s top-100 players has him ranked third among these players, trailing only Edwards and Brunson. He’s also third in this group in Estimated Plus-Minus (EPM), behind only Jackson and Haliburton (per Dunks & Threes).

The main reason Ingram wasn’t named to an All-Star team this year is because he missed a large chunk of time (roughly two months) with a big left toe injury. After returning from that injury, Ingram played 30 games where he averaged 26.7 PPG/5.7 RPG/6.4 APG on shooting splits of 48.8/34.6/88.8.

This includes a three-game stretch where he averaged 31.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and ten assists on 52.5% field goal percentage from the floor, leading the team to a 3-0 record during that time and earning Western Conference Player of the Week honors in the process.

The fact that Ingram is playing for Team USA this summer should be a great sign for Pelicans fans as it indicates that he is feeling healthy. Over the last couple of years, Ingram has been in and out of the lineup at times with an assortment of injuries (much to the chagrin of his teammates, reportedly).

Hopefully, Ingram can have a monster run with Team USA to build off of heading into what will be an important season for both him and the entire organization.