When you’re trying to rebuild a roster, but many of your future draft picks have already been traded, creativity is critical. For Brooklyn’s front office earlier this decade, that meant identifying young players with potential on other NBA rosters, in the hopes of prying them loose via trade. One of the names at the top of the Nets’ and assistant general manager Trajan Langdon’s most-wanted list was Brandon Ingram.
It ended up requiring an address change for Langdon from the East Coast to the Gulf Coast – as well as a blockbuster trade with the Lakers – but in mid-June, Langdon finally landed the fellow Duke University product. Langdon joined New Orleans as GM on May 19; less than a month later the Pelicans dealt Anthony Davis for the 6-foot-9 Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart (somewhat ironically, that Lakers trio arrived along with a slew of future draft picks).
“We talked about Brandon a lot in Brooklyn,” Langdon recalled. “We had different guys that we kind of targeted, that if they ever came up in trade talks, we would love to go after. He was one guy we were always intrigued by, with his size, his skill level. More than anything else, his approach to the game. If you just watch him, he’s all about hoop. He just wants to go out and compete, play the game he loves. There is no off-the-court stuff that gets in the way.”
When he heard that no-nonsense description, Ingram agreed wholeheartedly, using a bit less diplomatic terminology than Langdon.
“I don’t tolerate any BS,” Ingram said. “I’m just kind of laidback and reserved. I lay back and see how I can do things the right way. I like to be straightforward with whatever I’m doing, whether it’s basketball, whether it’s meeting someone, whatever it is.”
“He gives off a chill vibe,” said Hart, now in his third season as an NBA teammate. “Nothing rattles him. He’s going to be chilling all day. He’s real cool, calm and collected.”
Ingram may be viewed as lowkey off the court, but he’s progressively gotten more dangerous to opponents on it, increasing his scoring average from 9.4 as a rookie, to 16.1 in Year 2, to 18.3 last season. His ’18-19 campaign was cut short by a blood condition, but he finished with a flourish, averaging 27.8 points over a six-game span, including 29 and 23 in separate late-February matchups vs. New Orleans.
Upon returning to action this preseason, the slender Ingram picked up from where he left off, dropping in 19 points at Atlanta in just 23 minutes, in his first NBA game in seven months. The Pelicans appreciate his ability to create offense for himself and believe he’s an underrated passer, having averaged three-plus assists each of the past two regular seasons.
“One thing you love about B.I. – he’s a very team-first guy,” said Hart, using the common teammate shorthand of Ingram’s initials. “When someone else is hot, he’s never looking at himself like, ‘I’ve got to get going.’ He’s very unselfish. He makes sure he goes out of his way to find that (teammate). You always need those kinds of guys, but also when there are certain times you need a bucket, just give him the ball and let him go to work.”
“His ability to make plays off the bounce or off the catch, with his size, length and high release, it makes him a really hard guard,” Langdon said. “It gives us another person who can find a shot at the end of shot clocks, which I think is something that really kind of gets overlooked in this league. You’ve got to have guys who can get shots off at any time. That’s one thing he can do.
“He makes the game incredibly easy at times. He can really, really score the ball, inside and out. He’s a good passer who’s gets in (to the paint) and is not afraid. Even though he’s a little light and we need to put some pounds on that frame, he’s not afraid to mix it up, get on the glass, attack the rim and get fouled, get to the line.”
Ingram played in a consistently up-tempo attack during his three Lakers seasons, as Los Angeles ranked in the top five in the NBA in pace each time, but New Orleans pushes the ball even more. Ingram is looking forward to demonstrating his ability in an offense that was No. 1 and No. 2 in tempo over the past two seasons, respectively, under Alvin Gentry.
“I think it’s going to be fun,” Ingram said, showing some rare animation while describing what he envisions in his debut season with the Pelicans. “Being in another system and being able to showcase my talent. Playing fast, being good at both ends of the floor, continuing to get better. That’s going to be fun.”
