Best former Los Angeles Lakers players: 2. Brandon Ingram
The list really starts after number two. Julius Randle is first, Brandon Ingram is second and then there is a gap between the rest of the top five.
Ironically enough, Ingram was the league’s Most Improved Player last season and Randle is likely going to win the award this season. Ingram made his first All-Star Game last season, Randle made his this season.
Randle, though, deserves that All-NBA nod that we already alluded to, something Ingram did not get in his breakout season.
Ingram was not named an all-star this season despite having a virtually identical season. Ingram is currently averaging 23.8 points, the exact same he was averaging last season, while shooting 46.6% from the field and 38.1% from beyond the arc for a 53.1% eFG%. Last season, he shot 46.3% from the field, 39.1% from beyond the arc and had an eFG% of 53.1%.
His assists numbers are slightly up, his rebounding numbers slighty down and all in all he has proven to be a valuable asset for the New Orleans Pelicans, even if there is a bit of an identity crisis there on whose team it really is between he and Zion Williamson.
Perhaps this is Ingram’s peak. He is still only 23 years old and has a ton of room to grow but there is nothing wrong with him averaging 23-25 points, five rebounds and five assists per game. There are only nine players in the league averaing 25/5/5, so that is a pretty solid ceiling for Ingram.
The stats are close between he and Randle but the advanced numbers lean in favor of Randle and team success leans in favor of Randle. Randle is doing more to help his team win. While New Orleans plays in the tough Western Conference, they also arguably have more overall talent than the Knicks.