Lonzo Ball calls Brandon Ingram the Pelicans’ best player: ‘He’s been showing it all year’

Lonzo Ball had high praise for Brandon Ingram after the forward earned Western Conference Player of the Month honors.

Perhaps no player in the NBA has embraced a new, larger role this season than Brandon Ingram with the Pelicans. After being in the shadow of LeBron James with the Lakers last season, Ingram was handed the keys to the Pelicans this season and has flourished, highlighted by winning the Western Conference Player of the Week award for the final full week of December.

After practice on Tuesday, Lonzo Ball talked about Ingram winning the award and his play this season.

“He’s our best player. He showed it and he’s been showing it all year. He finally got the award because we finally won some games for him.”

This season, Ingram has seen his points per game average jump seven full points to 25.3 points per game. Most importantly, though, is that he’s shooting 40.9% from three-point territory on 5.7 attempts per game. His ability to consistently knock down shots from range has opened up his game as he’s also averaging a career-high in rebounds and assists while still getting to the line at a good rate.

While most expected Jrue Holiday to be the leader for the team, it’s been Ingram who has embraced that role statistically on the court. Now, as Ball joked, with the team healthy and thriving, Ingram is starting to get the notoriety he deserves.

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Pelicans vs. Rockets Recap: The good, the bad and the Ball

The Pelicans captured their fourth consecutive win, the second in as many nights, and the fifth win in the last six games on Sunday by outscoring the Rockets 41-19 in the fourth to earn a 127-112 victory.

The Good: E’Twaun Moore and Lonzo Ball

On a night where the Pelicans looked lifeless, it was an unlikely pairing that drug the team to a victory. The latter’s contributions will be discussed in the final section but the two were equally important. Moore caught fire in the fourth quarter from beyond the arc and finished with 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the field and 5-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc.

In 22 minutes, Moore finished with a plus-minus of +22. As a player who has been in and out of the rotation, it was a lesson in always being ready as a role player.

Honorable Mentions: First-quarter shooting, fourth-quarter finishing, playoff hopes

The Bad: The middle quarters

It’s not really worth re-hashing because it’s been a problem all season for New Orleans but the Pelicans were outscored 56-50 by a depleted Rockets team. In the end, it didn’t hurt New Orleans thanks to an incredible fourth but those are the types of lulls that have to be eliminated against tougher competition.

The Ball: A career night

Lonzo Ball was red hot from the start on Sunday, hitting four three-pointers in the first quarter and five in the first half. He finished with a career-high seven three-pointers made en route to 27 points with nine rebounds and eight assists.

On a night when, as mentioned before, the Pelicans looked dead in the water at times, Ball and Moore were the sparks for the team, particularly in the fourth quarter. The game was likely Ball’s best as a Pelican and the continuation of a strong stretch of play since returning to the starting lineup.

Pelicans vs. Rockets Preview: Ending the decade on the right note

New Orleans’ recent winning run of form has them beginning to think about a return to the playoff picture.

Who: New Orleans Pelicans vs. Houston Rockets

When: Sunday, Dec. 29, 8:00 p.m ET

Where: Smoothie King Center

How to watch: Fox Sports New Orleans

What once looked like a lost month and season could quickly turn back around for New Orleans if they can close 2019 with a win. At home against the Clint Capela-less Rockets, the Pelicans can take one more big step out of the gutter on Sunday.

After finding themselves 6-22 heading into the team’s holiday road trip, wins in four of their last five games have them not only heading back to .500 but inching back into the playoff picture. A win by New Orleans can move them within 3.5 games back of the eighth seed in a putrid bottom of the Western Conference.

To earn that win, though, the Pelicans will have to outduel one of the elite scorers in the league in James Harden. Entering Sunday’s game, Houston is 12-1 when Harden scores at least 40 points. The Pelicans have held Harden under that mark in both meetings, though only by one point in their second meeting. That hasn’t automatically equaled success as the Rockets won both previous contests.

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Lonzo Ball notes defense, return of Derrick Favors as keys to recent victories

After stringing together the most impressive win streak of the year, Lonzo Ball credited the defense and Derrick Favors for the recent success.

After hitting the lowest point of the season following a loss at Golden State, New Orleans has followed it with its strongest stretch of the season with three-straight wins, all against playoff teams. It’s a stretch that has been as impressive as it’s been unexpected, largely because of how the team is getting its wins.

Spending most of the season near the bottom of the league in defensive rating, the Pelicans have held four of their last five points to 100 points or fewer, all four of those resulting in wins. Lonzo Ball noted the defense being the key to the team’s turnaround during shootaround before Saturday’s game against the Pacers.

“I think effort. I think dropping the bigs (back closer to the rim) is helping us too, and (Derrick Favors) getting back and being a lot healthier.

“I’m just trying to do my best to get to the ball (defensively) and get easy points for us. The whole team has. I think we do feel more comfortable, knowing that if we do get beat (off the dribble), D Fave is back there protecting us.”

Over the five-game stretch, the Pelicans rank second in the league in defensive rating at 97.8, trailing only the Bucks with a rating of 96.7. Prior to this recent stretch, the Pelicans had a defensive rating of 114.4, third-worst in the league.

The numbers also back up Favors’ impact on the court this season defensively. The Pelicans are just shy of two points per 100 possessions worse defensively this season with Favors off the floor.

Interestingly, over the last five games, Ball has the second-lowest defensive rating on the team at 92.7. The Pelicans are also 8.4 points per 100 possessions worse defensively with Ball off the court.

Clearly, it’s been a team effort for the Pelicans to reel off their most impressive winning streak of the season.

Pelicans vs. Pacers Recap: The Good, the Bad and the Ball

The New Orleans Pelicans have won three games in a row for the second time this season.

The New Orleans Pelicans were able to keep their momentum going on Saturday, handily beating the Indiana Pacers 120-98 and extending their winning streak to three games. The Pelicans have now won four of their last five games.

Here was the good, the bad and the Ball from Saturday night’s game at the Smoothie King Center.

The Good: The Pelicans

The Pelicans’ win over the Pacers was as good of a team win as they’ve had all season. Seven different players finished the night in double figures and they shot 46.2% from the field as a team, including an impressive 42.9% from 3-point range.

It took some time, but everyone seems to be getting on the same page, which is great news considering Zion Williamson’s return is just around the corner. Is a playoff berth in the cards for the Pelicans? Maybe not, but they’re now only four games back of the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

The Bad: N/A

The Ball

Lonzo Ball was one of the Pelicans feeling it from behind the arc on Saturday night, going 4-8 from behind the arc. He finished the night with 13 points on 4-11 shooting from the field.

Ball’s 3-point shooting has picked up as the season has gone on, but he’s still not much of a threat as a scorer. Luckily, the Pelicans have enough scoring between Brandon Ingram and Jrue Holiday on most nights for that not to matter.

Pelicans vs. Pacers Preview: Building on unexpected momentum

After a successful road trip over the holidays, the New Orleans Pelicans return home on Friday to host the Indiana Pacers.

Who: New Orleans Pelicans vs. Indiana Pacers

When: Friday, Dec. 27, 7:00 p.m ET

Where: Smoothie King Center

How to watch: Fox Sports New Orleans

The New Orleans Pelicans ended their holiday road trip not only an unexpected 3-1 but having beaten a pair of Western Conference playoff teams to end the trip in Portland and Denver.

While the opponents don’t get any easier for the Pelicans on Friday, a return home could be the precursor to a season turnaround. The Pacers, one of the Eastern Conference’s elites, will visit the Smoothie King Center for the first meeting between the sides this season.

The duo of Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis lead the surprisingly competitive Pacers with Victor Oladipo still yet to make his return from injury. The former averages 18.3 points per game while the latter is at 17.9 points per contest to go with 13.5 rebounds per night.

Together, they’ve formed one of the more deadly pick and roll combinations in the league, leading to their 21-10 record and 11th spot in net rating this season. That net rating is also buoyed by a defense that comes in sixth in the league in defensive rating, allowing just 104.4 points per 100 possessions.

Jalen Rose praises Brandon Ingram, says Lonzo Ball has ‘plateaued’

Jalen Rose wants Lonzo Ball to make a leap like Brandon Ingram has with the New Orleans Pelicans.

When the Los Angeles Lakers traded Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball to the New Orleans Pelicans in the blockbuster trade for Anthony Davis, it was viewed as an opportunity for the pair of former No. 2 picks to start fresh.

While Ingram is starting to resemble the player scouts thought he’d be at the NBA level, Ball is still struggling to live up to his draft hype, averaging just 10.1 points on 37.4% shooting from the field, 5 rebounds. 5.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Those averages aren’t too far off from his career numbers, but that’s exactly what has been so disappointing about his junior season — he’s yet to make the leap.

Jalen Rose even went as far as to say that Ball has “plateaued” in his junior season (via “Jalen and Jacoby”):

“[Ingram] got drafted as a lottery pick and they was like, ‘Here go the keys,’ but then they brought in Lonzo. ‘Yo, this is the future. You’re number going to be in the rafters, Zo!’ Now — they get traded — one guy has been able to flourish in Ingram and it seems like Lonzo has plateaued.”

Unfortunately for Ball, it’s hard to argue against the Michigan basketball legend’s point.

Yes, Ball is posting career-highs in 3-point percentage and free-throw percentage, but even those percentages — 33.3% and 50%, respectively — leave a lot to be desired. It’s also worth noting that those are the only major categories he’s having a career year from.

Ball has shown flashes, but it doesn’t seem like he’s on the cusp of anything special. Hopefully good health and the return of Zion Williamson will help Ball start to trend in the right direction.

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Pelicans vs. Nuggets Recap: The good, the bad and the Ball

The New Orleans Pelicans picked up their second straight impressive win over a playoff team on Christmas Day, knocking off the Denver Nuggets with a big fourth quarter, 112-100.

The Good: Brandon Ingram

On a career night, Brandon Ingram knocked down seven of his nine three-point attempts en route to 31 points. He was his normal incredible self on the night, shooting 11-for-18 from the field. He also had seven rebounds, two assists and two steals.

It should be noted, though, that the win was a total team effort. Six players finished in double figures and the only starter not to, Derrick Favors, had 13 rebounds, eight assists and three blocks and held Nikola Jokic to 8-of-20 shooting.

Honorable Mention: Jrue Holiday, Fourth-quarter performance, J.J. Redick’s close to the first half

The Bad: The “what could have been?”

The Pelicans are going to head home from this road trip 3-1 with the only loss being to the worst team in the league. If the team had been propositioned a 3-1 road trip, they certainly would have taken it but most expected the Warriors game to be an easy win in that scenario.

Still, the team will head back home now for a two-game stand and four of their next six games. Most importantly, for the first time in a long time, they have real momentum this season.

Honorable mention: Jamal Murray, the Denver Nuggets as a whole

The Ball: Big contributions down the stretch

Lonzo Ball had himself a quietly great night. While Ingram and Holiday led the team in scoring, Ball did a bit of everything, finishing with 10 points, nine rebounds, three assists and just one turnover while finished with a plus-minus of +12.

The one negative on the night was that Ball shot 4-of-13 from the field and 2-of-8 from three, but he made contributions all over the court and may have solidified his spot in the starting lineup moving forward.

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WATCH: Lonzo Ball accidentally posterizes teammate Kenrich Williams

Kenrich Williams was on the wrong side of a poster slam on Sunday, but so was Lonzo Ball.

Lonzo Ball didn’t exactly pile on the points against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night, scoring just 7 points 33.3% shooting from the field, but he did have one of the most memorable highlights of the game, if not the night.

In third quarter of Sunday’s game, Lonzo Ball threw down a ferocious putback slam dunk over someone, but unfortunately that someone was his New Orleans Pelicans teammate Kenrich Williams.

"LONZO JUST DUNKED ON KENRICH"

A little friendly fire on the putback slam 😂 pic.twitter.com/nRMDJqRtYp

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 24, 2019

Other than the fact that he put Williams in a poster, it was a great putback and energized the Pelicans to make a run in the third quarter. While Ball continues to try and figure out how to make his shots on a consistent basis, most of his made shots in the painted area will be dunks or layups.

Let’s just hope that next time he throws down a highlight dunk, it won’t be on his teammate. At the very least, he can give them a warning next time.

Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers Recap: The Good, the Bad and the Ball

The New Orleans Pelicans were the beneficiaries of a cold shooting night from the Portland Trail Blazers.

The New Orlean Pelicans are up to seven wins on the season following a 102-94 win over the Portland Trail Blazers Sunday at the Moda Center. Here was the good, the bad and the Ball from the game.

The Good: The new-look starting lineup

Alvin Gentry returned to a familiar starting lineup on Sunday with Lonzo Ball, Jrue Holiday, JJ Redick, Brandon Ingram and Derrick Favors. Going into Sunday’s game, the Pelicans were 0-2 with that starting lineup, but they had success with it in Portland.

Four of the five starters finished in double figures against the Trail Blazers, with Jrue Holiday leading the way with 21 points, albeit on a lowly 33% shooting from the field. Brandon Ingram wasn’t especially efficient front the field either, but he ended with 19 points.

Obviously, the starting lineup will change once Zion Williamson makes his return, but until then, this should be Gentry’s starting five, health permitting.

The Bad: Portland’s 3-point shooting

The fact that the Pelicans’ two-leading scorers shot a combined 13-39 from the field and they still won is a testament to how poorly the Trail Blazers shot from the field — especially from behind the arc.

Damian Lillard couldn’t hit anything on Sunday night, going 0-10 on his 3-point attempts. CJ McCollum didn’t have much luck either, going 2-10, but his two made 3-pointers were a team-high for Portland.

Every team has bad shooting nights, but the Trail Blazers aren’t in a position to lose games because of bad shots with a 14-17 record.

The Ball

Lonzo Ball left his mark on the Pelicans’ win, tallying 7 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. His shot still isn’t there, but it seems like that’s just something that New Orleans will have to live with this season, if not longer.