Brandon Ingram is a cornerstone of the New Orleans Pelicans’ franchise and one of the most intriguing young players in the NBA today.
Last season, Ingram took a step back from his stellar 2020-21 campaign – but only slightly. He averaged 22.7 points per game on 46.1 percent shooting from the field and 32.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
One year earlier, those stats sat at 23.8 points per game on 46.6 percent shooting from the field and 38.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc. So again, a marginal decline, but not anything too significant.
And he came alive in the Pelicans’ brief playoff run, putting up 27 points per game on 47.5 percent shooting from the field and 40.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
There is a reason why the front office rejected the Brooklyn Nets’ proposed Kevin Durant trade which centered around Ingram. They legitimately believe in the 24-year-old’s promise.
This offseason Ingram has quietly been putting in work, getting ready for what’s to come in 2022-23. On Friday, however, Ingram suddenly went viral. The usually low-key star became the talk of NBA Twitter.
Why? Because of new photos of him that emerged online:
Brandon ingrams new look for 2023 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/3f0IiwGp5E
— $ (@LeBIKUZO) August 19, 2022
Understandably, folks had some reactions to Ingram’s new look.
I aspire to look like this https://t.co/hbxNxYSbpb
— Competitive Among Us Player (@somalisosa) August 21, 2022
Pic was edit. But not by much pic.twitter.com/OytmTZaNlk
— edwin avila (@edwin_avila13) August 20, 2022
it’s been nothing but hoops this summer for him. it’s time. https://t.co/X3CnYYsQ9m
— mail (@gtbli4m) August 20, 2022
i’m bouta be locked in for 6 months no chop imma be looking like this soon https://t.co/Z27wmeKPhJ
— sheez (@imsheezyyy) August 20, 2022
A lot of people noticed a certain swagger to Ingram late last season. His brutal 3-word message to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers was almost uncharacteristic it was so brash.
It will be interesting to see how that carries over into next year, when he will finally get a chance to do work with freshly skinny Zion Williamson.
Ingram has been in the headlines quite a bit over the past year. Between it coming out that his first love may have been a little person and the incessant trade talks, it was one thing after another.
This season, though – Ingram seems locked in.
The photos speak for themselves. https://t.co/ofrNcgTkru
— Game 7 (@game7__) August 21, 2022
Is 2022-23 going to be the year where he officially establishes himself as a legitimate superstar in the NBA?
Time will tell.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
