Brandon Ingram has done a lot of losing since he entered the NBA as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft out of Duke. 37 wins are the most any team he has been on in the NBA has had in a single season and that came during the 2018-19 campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers in his third season in the league.
He was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, along with Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart, in the blockbuster trade that landed Anthony Davis in Hollywood.
While it had to be tough to watch the team that drafted him go on to win a championship the season after he was traded, Ingram has come into his own with the Pelicans.
In the 2019-20 season, his first in New Orleans, he made the first All-Star game of his career. He averaged 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists and one steal per game, cementing himself as one of the best young two-way point-forwards in the NBA.
Unfortunately, his ascension has not been congruent with the New Orleans Pelicans. While Ingram has taken his game to the next level in New Orleans, the team has not found much success. They missed out on the NBA Play-In Tournament last season and are on the outside looking in again this season.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 3 Logical Suitors For Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram At Trade Deadline
The Pelicans got off to a disastrous start this season as they await Zion Williamson’s return to the lineup. Ingram missed some time with a hip injury, playing in only 16 out of the team’s 23 games thus far this season.
With so many players moving around and requesting trades in recent years, it is fair to wonder if Ingram has had the thought cross his mind. At the end of the day, everyone wants to win. Ingram is in his sixth season in the NBA and he has not done much of that in his career, but he is committed to the Pelicans organization.
“I’ve made a commitment to New Orleans that I was going to be here for five years and not knowing what was going to come with it,” Ingram told NBA.com. “Of course, I want to always be on the winning side. It’s always frustrating when you lose, you lose and you lose. But I think you find beauty in pushing hard. I’m trying to figure out a way with the group that we have with making each other better every single day.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 3 Logical Suitors For Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram At Trade Deadline
Brandon Ingram is in the second season of a five-year, $158 million extension that he signed with the team after his rookie deal expired. New Orleans is 6-17 thus far this season as Ingram is playing for his third coach in as many seasons with the Pelicans.
It is something that he admits can be frustrating. But, he is going to continue putting in the work to find as much success as he can.
“Some days it’s been frustrating more than anything,” Ingram said. “But most of the days, I look at it and am like, ‘This game is what created all the opportunities for me in life. What else would I want to put into it?’ I want to put everything into it.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 3 Logical Suitors For Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram At Trade Deadline
New Orleans has begun playing better as of late, winning three out of their last four games. Hopefully, they can start building some momentum that can be carried over once Williamson returns to the lineup to provide the boost the team needs.
