Brandon Ingram new orleans pelicans Haven’t played in a while. He suffered what the team called a “bruise on his left big toe.” memphis grizzlies November 25th, and has been on the sidelines ever since. At practice Thursday, Ingram told reporters that “confidence” is the biggest thing between him and his return to the court.
“Unleash Confidence” Ingram said“Confidence to get back to being who you want to be. Trying to be explosive, just trying to be yourself. That’s the biggest thing. If you don’t feel like yourself, it’s not the time to be on the floor.” I know.”
He doesn’t know exactly when he’ll be back. The “hardest thing” is when he “feels like he’s ready, but he’s not ready yet.” Willie Green told reporters It was a “slow process” for Ingram, and “was hard for him”.
“There are days when I feel really good and my recovery is bad,” Ingram said. “There are days when the recovery is going well. So whenever I feel 100%, I’ll try. But right now, I can’t say for sure.”
Green said the team “hope to have him back soon”, but the big-picture goal is to be as competitive as possible in the playoffs, so the main priority is “to get him back.” It’s about getting back to health and avoiding setbacks.
The good news is that New Orleans thrived without Ingram. Despite Zion Williamson and Ingram only playing 12 games together (CJ McCollum has missed two of them), With a record of 22 wins and 12 losses, they are the best in the West. With the Pelicans placing him sixth on offense, sixth on defense, and third on points difference, Williamson added momentum to his MVP conversation. In the 12 games Williamson has played since Ingram’s injury, he averaged 29.8 points on 68.2% true shooting, plus 7.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks, while New Orleans posted 121.7 per 100 possessions. Got points.
“I want to be on the court, so it’s pretty tough,” Ingram said. “Especially because of the team’s recent success, I want to be a part of it.”
Ingram said he would not just “get used to it” when he returned, “they would still have to give me the ball,” but that communication on the court and “use my IQ.” To make things easier for his teammates. Ideally, when he’s in the lineup, the Pelicans will “blow the team down” and starters will get more rest.
If that happens, it will be because Ingram, Williamson and McCallum have found their rhythm in attack together.Pelicans, Williamson Score 14 consecutive points within 3 minutes of crunch time He scored a career-high 43 points on 14-for-21 shooting. (“We had a really diverse play call all at once: get the ball to the Z, f— off the road.”) McCallum said.) The last thing they want to do is take the ball out of Williamson’s hands.
New Orleans was deep at every position, with injuries dictating rotations for most of the season. Nagy has his marshals starting recently and the 24-year-old winger has won all of his last four games, averaging 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 30.7 minutes. Against Minnesota, Trey Murphy III scored 21 points in his 27 minutes and made five of his seven three-point attempts. This is the kind of thing every team wants to see when he one of their best players misses.
Every team wants an injured star to return quickly and seamlessly. The former is not happening with Ingram, but the latter is more important.
