Brandon Ingram Discussion: He Is Who We Thought He Could Be

I think Lonzo deserves an asterisk footnote, but I understand the cut off.

 

I really wonder why he can't play like this most games. He seems to get up for games like this. He played well in the Sixers game too if I remember correctly because of Simmons. In this game he was going against some excellent defenders in Durant, Iggy and Draymond. Why can't he do this against teams like Phoenix or Sacramento? I know young players are inconsistent, but this seems more about his ability to challenge himself.

 

Here's the list of shots Ingram made. I included gifs of the his most impressive takes and I wanted everyone to see the progression in the 3rd quarter of exactly why this was the most dangerous game Ingram has ever played.

1- mid-range, catch and shoot jumper off a down screen from Lopez (right side of court)
2- corner three off over-help by Durant, swing pass from Nance (right side of court)
3- fast break layup from Nance bounce pass, outruns Warriors defense (right side of rim)
4- drive to the rim on Pachulia switch, fake drive left, cross over right, long strides around Pachulia (top of the arc)
5- corner three off push-up pass from Lonzo, Durant knocked off by Ingram elbow, step back to the arc (right side of the court)
6- one dribble pull up mid-range out of bounds passes in to Julius, gets ball back off a brush screen from JR (free throw line area)
7- dunk as the pick and roller going left off a hesitation dribble on Pachulia (started right side of the court). This was his best offensive play all night.



8- layup with the right hand going left on Pachulia off the switch (started left side of the court, went to middle, finished left side of the rim)

9- layup going left finished with his left hand off the switch against Jordan Bell and finished around Bell and Durant (started left side). His ability to drive left and finish left is going to open up driving lanes for him that he hasn't seen yet. Durant looks like he's expecting Ingram to come back to that right hand and it doesn't happen.

10- mid range pull up over Jordan Bell off the switch going to his left again. This is the shot that opens up absolutely everything for him. Once he gets a bit stronger and can take this shot on balance, the league is in BIG trouble.

11- layup driving right on Durant (started on left side)
12- layup driving right on Thompson off the switch, long strides makes the layup over Durant And-One. He gives Thompson two between the legs dribbles to freeze him, then drives right past him. Keep in mind Thompson is one of the better defenders in the league on the wing.


Those 7-10 shots are next-level scorer status. They're Ingram's step into being a true scorer. That hesitation on Pachulia was probably the best ball handling I've seen from Ingram in a while. Hesitation with his off-hand, then takes it all the way to the rim. This isn't hyperbole or optimism, this is real: if he's able to do these things consistently, he's going to be a real problem. The key word of course is consistently.

 

Amick was the reporter tying George to LA. Gaining his attention isn't really important, but if he's still got insight into George's camp, it's a good sign that Amick is paying attention.

I also love reading (and I agree with) the idea that our young guys would embrace doing this on their own. That's important to their development. We as fans and the organization as a whole won't stand pat while these kids all figure out their identities in the NBA, but it's good to know the kids will grind. A week ago Shaw talked about Russell not having the right approach to practices. I'm not sure any of our kids are doing that anymore. It feels like all of these kids and even the vets are excited to come to work and to improve as a group.

 

No problem. If I have time I'll do some for Julius's defensive plays.

 

This lines up pretty well with what my eyes are telling me too. Leonard was (and is) more conservative as a scorer. Something that makes him unique is Kawhi's only going to take shots he feels he's going to make at a high, high percentage. Seems like something everyone should do, but not everyone thinks that way. Ingram definitely feels more like Batum than Giannis on the glass although I'd like to see him focus more on that. Ingram definitely seems like the best natural passer of this group at this age. Giannis might have him beat today, but a lot of that is physical. Ingram has shown flashes of guard-like vision. The other three looked like better defenders to me, a little more focused and a little more disciplined on the ball. That's something Ingram is going to have to grow into. I'd love for him to take on that challenge of being a defensive stopper.

And thank you!