Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerIncluded Columnist IVMay 8, 2024
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New Orleans Pelicans star Brandon Ingram and head coach Willie Green “had a small exchange” in the locker space throughout the group’s Game 2 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the preliminary of the 2024 NBA playoffs, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Charania reported that Ingram informed Green “he desired the ball and desired the coach to assist in that.”
Ingram had 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting in New Orleans’ uneven 124-92 defeat to OKC on April 24. If the discussion the 2019-20 All-Star and Green came throughout halftime, then it appears like the training personnel changed rather. 8 of Ingram’s shot efforts remained in the 2nd half.
Charania’s report comes as Ingram’s long-lasting future in New Orleans is progressively the topic of speculation.
The 26-year-old is getting in the last year of his agreement and charting his worth to the Pelicans beyond 2025 is difficult.
By itself, offering Ingram a complete max agreement may be a difficult tablet to swallow due to the fact that he hasn’t shown to be a real franchise foundation or a truly excellent secondary scoring alternative on a champion competitor. He has actually likewise appeared in 70-plus video games simply when because getting in the league in 2016.
For New Orleans, there are likewise the issues over Ingram’s fit in the very same backcourt as Zion Williamson considering that both seek to run primarily inside the three-point arc.
If there was any doubt, Williamson revealed this season he’s the one gamer around whom the front workplace must build the lineup. He remained fairly healthy, appearing in 70 video games, and his 40-point, 11-rebound effort in the play-in competition loss to the Los Angeles Lakers used the complete Zion Williamson Experience.
By itself, Charania’s report does not seem like a cause for issue or something larger that definitively states Ingram’s days on the Pels are numbered. It does play into what’s ending up being a bigger conversation.
