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It was always going to be hard for the eighth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans to upset the first-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs. However, the task became nearly impossible once New Orleans suffered significant injuries, and Oklahoma City stayed healthy.
Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram confessed to not being fully healthy after Game 3 Saturday, via The Athletic’s Will Guillory.
“I feel like I’ve had spurts where I feel good, but not completely,” Ingram said. “I’m not happy with none of my performances from the playoffs. I don’t think I’m myself completely. I’ll continue to push forward.”
This admission is hardly a surprise, as Ingram hasn’t exactly been lighting the world on fire. The Duke alum scored 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting with four rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal across 37 minutes in the 106-85 loss at home.
While this is far from an awful performance, it’s not exactly at the level of the 2016 second-overall pick’s draft status, either. With star forward Zion Williamson out, New Orleans needed Ingram to put the superhero cape on, but he hasn’t been up to the task. To be fair, it’s not entirely his fault, as he’s still healing from a knee injury that sidelined him for 12 games at the end of the regular season.
With the Pelicans’ campaign most likely wrapping up sooner rather than later, what does this deflating end to the season mean for Ingram and company going forward?
The year may not have ended how they wanted it to, but the Pelicans have promise
The Pelicans finished with a 49-33 regular-season record in a competitive Western Conference. To put this into perspective, the Milwaukee Bucks had the same record, and they were third in the East. Additionally, the New York Knicks were just one game above them, good for second place.
This was New Orleans’ best record since 2008-09 when it finished with an identical 49-33 mark on the way to a first-round exit against the Denver Nuggets. This is a monumental development for a franchise hard-pressed for success, as the team’s suffered seven losing seasons in the past 11 years alone.
Furthermore, Williamson still has three more years on his deal. The 23-year-old finally played a full season before straining his hamstring against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Play-In Tournament. He averaged 22.9 points per game on 57% shooting, with 5.8 rebounds, five assists, and 1.1 steals over 70 games played.
This was a significant step for the fellow Duke alum, as he had only played 85 games over his previous three seasons combined. This triggered a clause in his contract that makes the remaining seasons on his deal non-guaranteed, via Forbes.
However, as long as Williamson is healthy and at full strength, the Pelicans are likely to stay in the playoff mix. This gives them something to build on going forward. The next step is to find a Robin to Williamson’s Batman. If Ingram can’t fill that role, they’ll have to find someone else. With that being said, it’s worth giving the 2019-20 season’s Most Improved Player another chance next year.
More must-reads:
- Suns to hire ex-NBA champion as new head coach
- Jayson Tatum refutes narrative that Celtics are a 'superteam'
- The 'Most three-pointers made in one postseason' quiz
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