Brandon Ingram was a late scratch for the Raptors’ matchup with the Utah Jazz after a deflating loss to the Phoenix Suns. He missed the game due to right heel soreness that bothered him during his warmup.
Seeing your team’s star and leading scorer on the injury report is never good, but head coach Darko Rajaković quickly eased fans’ concerns.
“Really no big concern over here,” Rajaković said in the postgame media availability. “It just flared up. It’s something that we’re going to take a look at and then see how he feels tomorrow, but I don’t think it’s going to be anything that’s going to be problematic for us.”
This has been Ingram’s healthiest season in a long time
Ingram’s time in the NBA was largely defined by injuries. Coming into this season, he only played 65 or more games in his rookie season, when he logged 79 games for the Los Angeles Lakers. After that, he only cleared the 60-game mark three times in eight seasons.
This season, Ingram has already played 68 games. If he plays all remaining regular-season games, he will tie his season high for games played with 79.
Getting a healthy Ingram for a whole season has been a huge win for the Raptors. Trading for him quickly would have looked bad if he were sidelined for long stretches again. He has also become an integral source of offense that the Raptors would miss sorely against a better opponent.
The Raptors need Ingram back as soon as possible
Facing a tanking Jazz team without Ingram was fine, and the Raptors got a decisive 143-127 win. The next few games on the schedule will be quite different. The Raptors will have to face the Clippers, Pelicans, Magic, and Pistons.
Ingram’s old team already handed them a bad loss earlier this month, and the game against the Magic will decide the season series between the two teams, which could have a huge impact on the standings.
The Raptors will need Ingram healthy and ready to bounce back from his worrisome outing against the Suns for that four-game stretch.
While the Raptors built some separation between themselves and the 76ers, Magic, Heat, and Hornets, the Hawks are still only 0.5 games behind them. A string of wins will be imperative to help the Raptors cling to their slim lead or even widen the margin. Given that Cleveland is the only top team the Raptors beat consistently during the regular season—although never with James Harden in the mix—staying locked into the four-five matchup with the Cavaliers would be ideal.