Miami Heat Roundtable: Brandon Ingram A Fit In South Beach? – Rich’s Take
The Miami Heat offseason wish list has ranged from reasonable to pipe dream. Though one of the more intriguing names linked to the team has been the New Orleans Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram.
Rich’s Take (@followthepen)
All of the speculation is nice, but acquiring Ingram would be the move to make because of what he would bring to the Heat offense. For years, Miami has been missing a player in the lineup who can go out and get a bucket on his own.
Someone who does not need a pass and can efficiently and consistently create a basket for himself when the offense predictably goes stagnate. Ingram is exactly that.
A peek at his stats reveals a season where he scored 264 of his 513 field goals on unassisted plays. If that does not impress you, how about the fact that he shot from 40 to 66 percent from every area on the court except for corner threes?
It should probably be noted that he also took his least amount of shots from both spots. All around, his play equated to a slight bump in field goal percentage (46.6), free throw percentage (87.8), and assists (4.9).
Also, a trickle down by one percent from three (38.1) and a Zion Williamson evoked rebounding drop from 6.1 to 4.9 per game. Yet, with the increased firepower next to him, Ingram stayed steady at 23.8 points per game for the second year in a row.
However, stats are empty without eyeballs. Ingram and his lanky frame might fool you.
Hence the old Kevin Durant comparisons. Watch Ingram and you see an aggressive scorer who does not back down from talk or the opportunity to challenge the opposing team’s superior defender.
It also does not hurt that the quiet 23-year-old has also shown that he has enough dog in him to let his hands go to defend a teammate. A quality the Heat never shy away from.
Unfortunately, it does not look like New Orleans and Ingram will be parting ways. Pre-draft moves by the Pelicans to free money and whispers of going all out to sign Kyle Lowry, sound the opposite of a front office initiating a rebuild.
Especially with their Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, David Griffin, likely in the midst of a prove-your-worth offseason. Chalk this up as Heat fans being stuck with another wish.