Youth is nearly inconsequential in the NBA. Despite rumblings and acknowledgments of youth, players are typically judged on an equally tilted scale. If you “succeed,” there is a higher ceiling. If you “underperform”, you are an overpaid contractual mistake. These hot takes are consumed like candy on Halloween and everyone is that kid who takes all the candy from the house with the sign that reads, “Take one please”.
So, when Brandon Ingram belly-flopped his way into the NBA, many were quick to point out his failures:
His shooting, disastrous.
His frame, fragile.
His appearance, sedated.
Reason has become antiquated and bravado has become intelligence. It’s fitting then that Brandon Ingram’s impressive flashes have come in the form of play fit for the past.
His most efficient way of scoring is a traditionally inefficient way of scoring. In post-ups, Ingram is in the 81st percentile and manages to score one point per possession. Those numbers are better than players such as Marc Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, and Karl-Anthony Towns. Of course, those bigs tend to post up more often than Ingram, but the message is pretty clear. Ingram can score like very few at his position can.
He especially likes to utilize the post up against smaller players and use his length to easily get separation. He is sneaky strong down low and can get his funky hook shot off over defenders. While that hook shot isn’t the most consistent, he does have other tools he can rely on. He often opts for the fadeaway jumper that is nearly uncontestable at his size.
Despite this versatility, It’s Ingram’s shot that has been the cause of major concern this season. He is shooting just 39.8% from the field and 29.4% from 3. However, his jumper really does look fluid. It’s why his fadeaway works. He is clearly comfortable taking jumpers but his shooting slump can be attributed to a mental block. This is something that Mark Medina of the OC Register reported on.
“When I’m open, shoot the ball and be aggressive and make plays for other players,” Ingram said. “I’m getting more confident to take the shots. I’m more confident they’re going in. So I’m putting a lot of hard work into my shots. I’ll continue to try to get better and better.”
His poor 3pt% appears to be from the lack of strength more than anything. He uses so much of his arms and wrist when shooting that his 3pt attempts usually fall short, even if they are on target.
Because of this, Ingram has found success in dribbling inside the arc and shooting mid-range jumpers. He has been hitting 50% of his mid-range looks since becoming a starter. As he ages and grows stronger, those long twos should transform into made threes. For now, it’s a nice throwback to see a player purposely dribble past the arc to get a couple feet closer to the basket.
Lakers fans should get most excited about his newfound ability at the rim. As an extremely long individual, going to the rack should be natural. His reluctance to do so was a little worrying early on. However, he has evolved over the last few months where he has hit 64.5% of his shots at the rim. That is over 7% better than league average.
His long arms give him a George Gervin-Esque style. His favorite move is to put his head down and ram the defender before two-stepping his way to the basket. He obliterated Paul Pierce with this move a few games ago. As he gets stronger, this move will be much harder to stop.
Other aspects of his game that are alluring include, one, his passing ability and two, his ability to reach into driving lanes and create steals because of his long arms.
Ingram’s passes are often slightly off target which isn’t a huge problem as of right now. His passes will ricochet off his teammate’s hands or slide slightly out of reach. As he plays with his teammates more and learns their tendencies, these passes should become more accurate. That isn’t what the story here is, though. The story is that he has a clear knack for seeing the court which is huge for someone his age. He has made and attempted some brilliant passes this season. As time goes on, expect to see him dish more dimes than nickels.
All of this shows that Ingram is developing. He isn’t developing rapidly or historically, but he is doing it at his own pace. The signs are all there, he is just showing them in unconventional ways.
With that being said, his conventional stats still look good. He is averaging 12.1 points per game, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on 48.4% shooting since becoming a starter. This puts him right next to other ROY candidates.
To be fair, Ingram’s sample size of just 19 games is minuscule compared to the others. This is why he isn’t in any ROY conversations but his quick acclimation to the starting lineup is noteworthy. Despite being one of the youngest players in the league, he has shown why he has the most promise of any rookie without jumping off the boxscore.
