Brandon Ingram, F, Fr., Duke Ingram has been working out in White Plains, New York, focusing on two key things the 76ers and Lakers will be watching closely in their workouts with him -- improving his strength and proving his ability to be an elite shooter from the NBA 3-point line. A lack of strength is the biggest knock against Ingram right now. His lanky 6-foot-8 frame weighs less than 200 pounds -- extremely thin for an NBA forward. Ingram says he has put on around seven pounds since he started strength training, upping his weight to 197 pounds. Obviously, teams are going to want to see him significantly heavier than that. But he has time. He is one of the youngest players in the draft and has never done much in the weight room. While his frame is thin, the word from the training staff here was that Ingram is already surprisingly strong. The other question concerns Ingram's 3-point shot. He made an impressive 41 percent from deep as a freshman But as Kevin Pelton has mentioned in our draft debates, his 68 percent free throw shooting is a red flag. Typically, free throw shooting has been a better indicator of a player's NBA 3-point shooting ability. While Ingram didn't address his free throw shooting in the workout I saw, he really shot the ball well in a series of drills utilizing the NBA 3. Not only did he look comfortable taking spot-up shots, but when the staff took him through a star drill -- where Ingram had to make as many shots as possible from five spots on the floor in a star pattern in two minutes -- he excelled. He has an effortless stroke. He didn't seem to be straining at all on the 3s. That's unusual for most prospects, even great shooters, so early in the process. Typically it takes players some time to adjust. Ingram is well on his way. Off the court, Ingram is quiet and determined. A number of GMs remarked that he impressed in his interviews at the draft combine and that all the background reports say he's a thoughtful, coachable player who's a good teammate off the court. And despite his thin frame, Ingram doesn't seem to be that concerned with the increased physicality he'll encounter in the NBA. "I'm confident," he said. "I think confidence got me this far. I always thought I was the best player wherever I was, even with my build I always had confidence. Confidence to do whatever I wanted regardless of what others said. Determination to make a basket or get a defensive stop. I've always been responsible, have put my teammates first and taken responsibility for my own actions." Ingram probably will go either No. 1 or No. 2 in the draft. Interestingly, one NBA exec said his real future in the NBA isn't as a forward. It's as a shooting guard. "Back when the Pacers used to play Paul George at the 2, I felt like that was his best position," he said. "I feel the same way about Ingram. That's where he can be devastating and his lack of strength won't come back to haunt him. If he becomes a superstar, I think it will be because he developed the ability to play that spot."
That's the second time I heard something about Ingram at the SG. Probably two people reporting from the same source. I think the modern NBA is going to do away with what we used to think about positions. If Draymond can be a center sometimes, why couldn't Ingram be a shooting guard?
i think the same was said about durant coming out, but he ended up at 3. that's where ingram will be, most likely. positions are about who you can defend. ingram (or durant, or tayshaun prince) isn't going to be chasing jj redick around nine screens. but he's already equipped to deal with most nba sfs, imo. and until a team wins big by departing completely from traditional positions (like the diaw-at-center suns tried to do), i won't buy into the idea that the game is fundamentally different. the best teams still play big plodders and conform to old school position archetypes. honestly, the most position-defying teams in my memory were the jordan bulls, but they still always played a traditional center. but if the larger point is that simmons and ingram's versatility is a plus, i agree.
Russell and Clarkson shared the PG/SG spots, so I have no doubt the 3 of them can play together. Is Ingram going to play PG? No, but there's no reason he can't jump from SG and SF as the situation presents itself. I'm sure Clarkson can too.
Right this Is more my point than anything else. These players these days are mutli-talented and can slide up and down defensively. I think Ingram can be that guy. There's no reason we can't have the type of defense that Golden State employs if these guys buy in. Somewhere between Golden State and Milwaukee even if we draft Ingram. We should have speed and length all over the place.
Looks like he's dunking on a 8 or 9 foot rim. Notice on the last 2 dunks he's on his way down when he dunks the ball.
Great article. One thing the article that mentions as a comparison for Ingram is Giannis Antekotumpo. The fact that Ingram can become a 6'10, long armed point forward like the Greek Freak... PLUS he's already a better perimeter shooter than Giannis.... Oh man.
