Brandon Ingram vs Giannis Antetokounmpo rookie year comparison

Defense

Finally, when it comes to defense the two prospects are similar to one another in the sense that they share a large degree of versatility on the defensive end.

This versatility is mainly due to their size, length, and agility. Both players were able to essentially guard any position on the court from the point guard to the center spot fairly convincingly.

In their first NBA season, each player had a reasonable defense performance. However, Ingram accumulated a better defensive field goal percentage difference, as opponents shot 1.9 percent worse overall from the field.

In contrast, Giannis’ match-ups shot almost one percent better from the field overall while he was defending them.

Fascinatingly, where Antetokounmpo struggled most defensively is where Ingram thrived. The former Blue Devil held opponents to just under six percent worse shooting from inside 6-feet, while Antetokounmpo allowed opponents to convert 7.5 percent more than the average from the same spot on the court.

This said, Ingram’s defensive rating this past season was a lackluster 112.6 in comparison to Antetokounmpo’s 107.9.

What this entails is that although Ingram held opponents to a lower field-goal percentage, he allowed approximately 4-5 more points than the Milwaukee forward per 100 possessions.

Ultimately, this means that opponents scored more often when guarded by Ingram despite shooting a worse percentage.