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Pelicans shootaround update presented by Entergy: Brandon Ingram wins West weekly award

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Brandon Ingram is accustomed to a routine on road trips that goes something like this: Land in a city, check in to his hotel room, then almost immediately head to a nearby gym with Pelicans teammate Lonzo Ball to work on his shot and his game. Of course, in a year where almost nothing is normal, that routine is virtually impossible due to lack of gym access, so Ingram has traded some of that extra on-court time for visualization exercises. It appears to be working, because last season’s NBA Most Improved Player has already earned an early-season award, being named Western Conference Player of the Week honors for games from Dec. 22-27.

Ingram, who has been superb all-around through three games (26.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 6.7 apg), looks to continue his hot start to 2020-21 on Tuesday night, when New Orleans (2-1) visits Phoenix (2-1) on national TV. In addition to envisioning what he wants to accomplish between the lines, Ingram said after Tuesday’s shootaround that an extended stretch away from organized basketball activity was beneficial.

“Being away from the game, I’ve had time to think about everything that I wanted to do this season, the ways I wanted to integrate my teammates, myself, a new coach, everything that’s going to go on this season,” he said. “Just try to visualize how it would be. It helped out a lot.”

Other notes from shootaround in Arizona:

New Orleans is shooting 33.7 percent from three-point range (No. 19 in NBA), well off last season’s rate of 37.0 (seventh), but at this extremely early stage, the numbers may be a bit fluky. Ingram indicated that he’s content with the looks that the Pelicans are generating in the offense.

“I like the shots we’re getting,” he said. “We’re all professionals. We’re going to have some bad days and good days. I look for guys to be locked in on nights like these and get in a rhythm and comfortable with their shots. I think there will be a response from last game (a 5/24 game from the arc vs. Spurs), with everyone locked in trying to make those shots. But I like the shots we’ve been getting.” …

JJ Redick on where he’s seen the most growth from Ingram: “His playmaking. I think he’s really developing a keen understanding of where people are and when to deliver the ball. He can be a guy that puts up triple-doubles on a regular basis.”

Phoenix (2-1) scouting report

Offensive efficiency rank: 19 (106.2)

Defensive efficiency rank: 3 (101.3)

Streak: Won 1

Go-to guy: Suns shooting guard Devin Booker will undoubtedly lead Phoenix in scoring for a fifth consecutive season, having done so every campaign of his career except for his rookie year. One of the NBA’s most explosive offensive players, Booker recorded the 10th-best scoring night in league history on March 24, 2017, when he piled up 70 points at Boston. The Suns lost that game – Phoenix’s struggles are a big reason Booker hasn’t always gotten recognition for his individual ability – but he’s starting to see accolades as his team becomes more competitive, including an initial All-Star berth in 2020.

On the rise: Through three games, athletic third-year wing Mikal Bridges is averaging 16.3 points, nearly doubling his scoring from last season (9.1 ppg). A college teammate at Villanova of Pelicans reserve catalyst Josh Hart, Bridges and Hart exchanged some good-natured Twitter trash talk in 2018 when Bridges joked in a takeover of Phoenix’s official account that he planned to shut down Hart in an upcoming Suns-Lakers matchup.

Pelicans keys to victory

48 MINUTES OF CONSISTENT OFFENSE

New Orleans has shown flashes of offensive excellence, but also major fluctuations within games. The Pelicans, who rank 27th in efficiency (102.0), have scored less than 20 points in three of their last five quarters, including the fourth period of the Christmas loss in Miami.

TAKE ANOTHER STEP TURNOVER-WISE

Sunday’s eight-turnover performance vs. San Antonio was a good step in the right direction, but New Orleans needs to keep it up. The Pelicans are still 28th in the NBA in turnover percentage (17.8), ahead of only Chicago and Miami.

KEEP PHOENIX’S YOUNG SUNS FROM HEATING UP

While beating Dallas and splitting a weekend series at Sacramento, Bridges, Cam Johnson and Deandre Ayton have played well offensively, with each averaging double-digit points and shooting over 50 percent from the field. Bridges and Johnson are 24 years old, while Ayton is 22.

Sourced from Pelicans

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