Imago
Dec 23, 2020; Tampa, Florida, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) moves to the basket as Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (43) defends during the second quarter at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Imago
Dec 23, 2020; Tampa, Florida, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) moves to the basket as Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (43) defends during the second quarter at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Brandon Ingram has established himself as one of the top players in the league after his performances last season got him an all-star nod and the Most Improved Player trophy. While he has a superstar teammate in Zion Williamson, the Pelicans are the Brandon Ingram show at this moment.
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BI has shown impressive scoring ability and has been helping the Pelicans have a strong start to the season. A coach like Stan Van Gundy won’t be interested in tanking for a pick, so we can expect this team to make a strong push for the post-season this time around. Ingram’s performances are reflecting that.
Ingram has matched Luka Doncic in a unique NBA record. He became the first player since Luka last season to have 80 points, 20 rebounds, and 20 assists to open the season. Considering Ingram doesn’t nearly have the usage rate that Luka has, this statistic is wildly impressive.
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Brandon Ingram is the first Pelicans player with 80 Pts, 20 Reb and 20 Ast through the team’s first 3 games of a season.
The only player to do it for any team last season was Luka Doncic. pic.twitter.com/HiOOlNd0dx
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 28, 2020
Ingram scored 24 points in NOLA’s season opener against Toronto. He followed it up with back-to-back 28 point performances against the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. He has had 22 rebounds in these three games and 20 assists.
Brandon Ingram: The real star of the Pelicans?
While the narrative will always be around Zion, nobody should forget what Ingram can do. Zion has pure ability based on freakish athleticism.
There is no stopping Zion when he charges into the paint. However, it isn’t the same situation for BI. Ingram is a lanky scorer that operates in a very Kevin Durant type way.
USA Today via Reuters
Dec 25, 2020; Miami, Florida, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) shoots between Miami Heat forward Precious Achiuwa (5) and forward Maurice Harkless (8) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
He is a sweet-shooter, can drive into the pain, and score from basically anywhere on the court. He has started hustling defensively as proven with his increasing rebounding numbers. His passing may fall off, but even if he can average 4-5 assists a game, it is more than enough for this team.
Ingram is locked up for the foreseeable future, so it will be interesting to see how he and this Pelicans team progress.
