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With the Pelicans season officially over, we begin our look back at each individual player’s season and recap what we learned and where they stand with the Pelicans moving forward.
Overview
Even the most optimistic of fans could have hardly predicted Brandon Ingram’s 2019-20 season. After stops and starts in Los Angeles through his first three seasons, Ingram put it all together in New Orleans.
Ingram averaged 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists, all career-high marks, despite playing an almost identical amount of minutes per game as he did in his final year in Los Angeles. His overall field goal percentage went down but his three-pointer percentage jumped significantly as the catalyst for his scoring outburst.
His All-Star game nod and Most Improved Player trophy serve as the rewards of his work but a number of changes led to his big season. Those changes being sustainable, though, should have many excited for his future.
What was learned?
Long-time fans of Ingram would notice a big shift in his playstyle in New Orleans. First, his shot profile changed as he turned some of his mid-range attempts into three-pointers. In 2018-19, 45% of Ingram’s field goal attempts came in the mid-range. This season, that number dropped to 36%.
Similarly, Ingram’s attempts at the rim dropped from 44% o his shots in 2018-19 to 32% this year. Nearly all of those missing shot attempts went to three-point attempts as Ingram went from just shooting 11% of his shots behind the arc to 32% this season.
Naturally, that change in shot selection necessitated a change in accuracy from beyond the arc from Ingram and he obliged by raising his three-point percentage from 33% to 39%.
The second aspect of his game that changed came from playing under Alvin Gentry. Down were the isolation possessions as well as post-ups and cuts with a big uptick in spot-up opportunities. After they accounted for just 13% of his possessions in 2018-19, they accounted for 20.9% in 2019-20, the second-most-common play type for him this season.
His efficiency in spot-ups rose drastically as well. Per Synergy, after finishing in the 27th percentile last season, Ingram finished in the 78th percentile this season at 1.12 points per possession.
Ingram found himself in areas to succeed this season and jumped at those opportunities, leading to his big season. Credit goes to him for finally seizing his opportunities and credit goes to the Pelicans for putting him in the situations to thrive.
What does the future hold?
Ingram’s ascension this season raises the ceiling for the Pelicans. For all the prospects the team traded Anthony Davis for, none appeared to be a top-tier prospect. Ingram fits that bill now and, alongside Zion Williamson, gives the Pelicans a young 1-2 punch that rivals any other young duo in the league.
While he’s entering restricted free agency this off-season, all indications from the Pelicans are that they intend to bring him back, whether it be on a deal they agree to or by matching an offer sheet.
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