The Pelicans may not be spectacular, but Brandon Ingram is
So let’s just state the obvious facts about the 2020 NBA season, teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers are undoubtedly running the show and it’s been interesting to watch, the Western Conference is actually competitive again and that’s been really fun to watch. One of the rather small but big facts that we should address is that the Pelicans “breakout campaign” is going to be on hold for at least this season. That’s what happens when your top overall draft pick has been missing for more than half of the season and your defense gives away baskets like trick or treat candy.
Sitting with a 16-26 record in the basement of the southwest division in the West, especially with this year’s competition has the Pelicans eliminated from playoff contention in my mind. Don’t get me wrong, they’re 7-3 over their last ten games and players like Jrue Holliday and J.J Redick are going to give you solid production every night, but I like my odds in Vegas when it comes to betting against them ever becoming serious contenders behind those two players alone.
However, I’ve been seriously impressed with Brandon Ingram, who’s having a career year with 25.1 points per game, 4.2 assists and 6.8 boards per game. He’s averaging career highs in almost every shooting category statistically and is one of the more overall efficient players in the league. He’s finally turning into the consistent scoring presence that I’ve been waiting to see from him since he came into the league. While I don’t have inside knowledge of how the Lakers operated, I do know that Ingram came nowhere close to reaching his potential with them. Sure he was always going to be a double digit scorer with the Lakers but it never seemed like the Lakers could turn him into a weapon on a nightly basis against opposing teams. To add to that issue, while I’m a fan of LeBron James, once he arrived it was pretty much set in stone that Ingram was never going to be the true go-to option on that team.
When he got traded to the Pelicans I didn’t really know what to expect, I knew the Pelicans were in a rebuilding stage and needed all of the help they could get. Obviously Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart were sent with Ingram in the blockbuster trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Lakers, but neither of them have really been able to live up to what they’re capable of in my opinion. However Ingram got right to work dropping 35 against the Houston Rockets in October, 40 against Brooklyn not too long after that, and he’s dropped over 30 points on the third-ranked Utah Jazz in all three times he’s played them, with last night’s highlight performance against them catching the attention of many.
We’re only halfway through the season and so we might just be beginning to see what Brandon Ingram is truly capable of this season, and with Williamson back in the fold next week the Pelicans may not be the superstar contenders that we’re looking for this season, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be fun to watch with Ingram and Williamson running things on the floor. Alvin Gentry has the pieces in place to make some serious noise over the course of the next few years, it’s just up to him to utilize it correctly and that starts with putting Ingram in a position to succeed.
