It has been a long time coming folks, but you can finally cross it off the books, Brandon Ingram is back and he has officially logged playing time with his new Raptors team. After almost a year on the shelf and endless questions shooting left and right about his fit in Toronto (perhaps a 'radical strategy', as one has coined it), it was really refreshing to have tangible metrics and tape to draw off of for Ingram in his new journey, even if it's just preseason play.
Ingram suited up for two of the Raptors' three recent exhibition games, against the Denver Nuggets on October 6 and the Sacramento Kings on October 8. In that two-game sample, he appears to have picked up right where he left off, demonstrating that he remains a significant scoring threat, as he has been for most of his career.
Brandon Ingram brings a scoring boost the Raptors desperately needed
In his first game as a Raptor, Ingram scored 19 points on a 63.0% true shooting percentage in just over 22 minutes of play, marking a very solid debut, to say the least. His second game against the Kings was equally impressive, with a well-rounded performance: 21 points on 46.7% shooting from the field, 71.4% from three (a stellar 5-for-7), six rebounds, and three assists in just over 23 minutes of action.
I think that first game against Denver was a great introduction for Raptors fans to see what Ingram is known for when it comes to his scoring. Out of his twelve field goals in that Nuggets game, six were made: four within the key, one off the high post, and one from the top of the key (his lone three-pointer in the game). All of these shots reflect common strengths in Ingram's particular style. Although I was hoping to see a bit more aggression from Ingram beyond the arc, he certainly didn’t let Raptors Nation down on that front against the Kings.
Ingram caught fire quickly against Sacramento, securing a fast 14 points in the first quarter of that matchup, going a perfect 4-for-4 from deep. He'd have tremendous success shooting the ball on the left wing and from the corner, while taking a bit of a step back from his usual play closer to the basket (only securing one pull-up jump shot and a layup).
The calls for Ingram to take that next step as a shooter for this Raptors team have been highlighted by many teams, not just here on Raptors Rapture but also by other basketball commentators. Brandon Ingram is without a doubt a strong offensive weapon with the ability to spark the game at any moment, and even in just this two-game sample, he has adequately demonstrated his brilliance.
If the "Notorious B.I.3" can put together this scoring punch with a signature Raptors dose of playing aggressive defense (as Jakob Poeltl praised his potential for at Media Day), I have no doubts that Brandon Ingram will quickly emerge as Toronto's coveted crown jewel. I'm excited to see what a full, relatively healthy season looks like out of him.