When an NBA team acquires a pair of 21-year-olds in a major trade – as the New Orleans Pelicans did last summer – the hope is that the young players have plenty of room for improvement, plenty of time to make giant strides in their basketball careers. A year after coming to the Crescent City from the City of Angels, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball have emphatically backed up the belief the Pelicans had in their upside. Some NBA analysts predict first-time All-Star Ingram will win the league’s 2019-20 Most Improved Player award, while Ball has made dramatic in-season progress, after recovering from a severe ankle injury.
“When we traded for these guys, we thought that they had a ton of potential,” fifth-year Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry said of the now 22-year-olds after Saturday’s practice. “We were excited about having them on our team. I think Lonzo finally got himself healthy, and when he did, he played at a real high level for us. He shot the ball extremely well. A lot of that credit goes to (assistant coach) Fred (Vinson). A lot of it goes to Lonzo, because he’s really put in the work.
“As far as Brandon, we were excited as heck to get him, because we thought potentially he could be an All-Star. He’s played at a real high level. I’ll be very disappointed if he’s not the Most Improved Player, because he took a tremendous jump this year, in making the All-Star team and just overall, being that guy we could count on at the end of the game. Both of those guys have made a tremendous jump. I really do believe Brandon Ingram is the most improved player in this league.”
Born a month apart in the fall of 1997, Ingram and Ball were No. 2 overall draft picks by Los Angeles, in ’16 and ’17, respectively. Ingram seemed to be ascending to a new level in his third season with the Lakers, but his ’18-19 campaign was cut short by blood clots in his right arm. Meanwhile, Ball only appeared in 47 games that season due to injury. In their first season with New Orleans, Ingram is the team’s leading scorer (24.3 ppg), while Ball is tops in assists (7.0 apg). Both players made enormous leaps in three-point accuracy, opening up their games, while Ingram has authored a near-historic improvement on free throws.
“Both of those guys have taken steps forward,” Pelicans guard JJ Redick said Saturday. “The scary thing is they probably haven’t reached their ceiling yet. They are such young players and have such physical gifts that they are still learning how to use them. You saw BI make an All-Star Game, and Lonzo will be an All-Star someday. Both of those guys have such a bright future. As their teammate, it’s great to see them improve and play at such a high level.”
For New Orleans teammates, coaches and even media members, it may be relatively less of a surprise that Ingram and Ball became noticeably better players in ’19-20, based on how much time they seem to spend in the Pelicans’ practice facility, working on their games with each other. At home or on the road, it’s common for the duo to practice in the morning with their team, then head back to the gym in the evening to fire more jumpers. That’s paid off to the tune of Ingram and Ball connecting on 38.7 and 38.3 percent of their three-point attempts, respectively.
“Both of us are gym rats,” Ball said Saturday. “We’re very close off the court, which helps as well. Whenever I don’t want to go in the gym, he’ll go in, and it will make me want to go in (and vice versa). It’s always nice to have someone running the same race as you.”
