As a sneaker lover, when I was younger I used to trade shoes with friend for a day or so — sometimes longer. It was just like your run of the mill NBA trade. “You give me this joint, I’ll give you that one, this one and this one when I come back to class tomorrow.”
Two of those that you get back are just throw-ins with the trade. They might be a bit beat. They probably stink a little bit, but they’re fixable. You can clean them. Once you do? Buddy, you’ve got a gem.
That gem is sudden Pelicans star Brandon Ingram. He’s the shoe that wasn’t the centerpiece of the trade. He wasn’t supposed to be special. You weren’t supposed to rely on him every day. Now, he’s your go-to guy. You’re not giving him back.
He proved that last night with a spectacular 49-point performance to end the Jazz’s 10-game winning streak, including this insane shot that should’ve been a game winner.
BRANDON INGRAM IS LIKE THAT pic.twitter.com/9xwosz9k2X
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 17, 2020
Oh, there was also that reverse dunk on RUDY GOBERT.
Brandon Ingram with the reverse dunk on Gobert! pic.twitter.com/5VW7ftJ7Gm
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 17, 2020
This dude is good now. He showed flashes in his time with the Lakers for a few season and then got caught up in the shadow of LeBron James. But now? He’s a legit star. He should be an All-Star this season.
That changes everything for the Pelicans.
The Pelicans have one of the NBA’s legit young cores now
Ingram coming on the scene changes everything for the Pelicans. Not only did they win the lottery and draft a potentially generational player in Zion Williamson, they also got an All-Star in return for Anthony Davis.
If you were ever going to trade away a superstar player, this is the exactly what you’d hope to get in return. They have already have a duo that will immediately be considered one of the best up-and-coming combos in the league. That’s a great place to start a rebuild.
Now, look, Williamson and Ingram are no Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook just yet. They’re not even Luka Doncic-Kristaps Porzingis level right now. Williamson has yet to play and this is Ingram’s first good season.
But they’ve got time, and with time they can figure it out.
We’re already seeing results
Don’t look now, but the Pelicans have rebounded from the dreadful start to the season and are just 2.5 games back on the 8th seed. The playoffs are still in the realm of possibility for them.
They’ve won seven of their last 10 games and are in a great space. Derrick Favors is finally a healthy fixture in the lineup, Lonzo Ball is starting to cook and Ingram is going crazy.
Williamson is coming back to the lineup next week and Jrue Holiday shouldn’t take too long after him to return. They could finally have a fully healthy squad heading into the All-Star break. After that, anything can happen.
It looks like J.J Redick might be in luck. His 13 year playoff streak might live on after all.
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