This Raptors squad is far from a one-man show.
All season long, we've seen that for this team to succeed, all key elements need to be laser-focused, healthy, and working together as a cohesive unit. Each player in this core five plays an essential role in the Raptors' success, but no one has a bigger chip on his shoulder to step up as the team's offensive driver than Brandon Ingram.
Brandon Ingram has a tall task on this Raptors squad
He has his downsides and major question marks, just like nearly every other starter in this Raptors lineup — primarily BI's defensive effort, contributing in other ways when his shot isn't falling, and his ability to adjust when opposing defenses focus heavily on him. While Raptors Nation would love to see growth in these areas and more maturity from him, it was no secret that when Toronto aggressively pursued BI last February, their main goal was adding a proven 20-to-mid-20s scorer desperately needed in this team’s construction.
We've seen BI's high moments multiple times this season, but fans have also glimpsed the downsides of the Brandon Ingram experience — when his effort stalls, shooting efficiency drops, and questions about whether BI can truly lead a team to sustained success become more prominent.
March has been a mixed bag for BI, to be honest. He kicked off the month strong with a 31-point performance against the Knicks, though Toronto lost that affair. The next few games raised some concerns for Raptors fans, as BI averaged just 11.3 points on 36.8 percent true shooting, along with 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists — far from ideal from Toronto's leading scorer.
Scorers go through cold streaks — after all, it’s an 82-game season. We know BI's strength is being a scoring threat, especially in ISO situations and mid-range. The real question is whether Ingram can put up those high-20s, ideally into the 30s, and said performance to still lead to a Raptors win — something that’s been surprisingly tough lately, even against weaker teams, as shown by their frustrating loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
As the Raptors inch closer to playoff seeding — currently holding the sixth spot — it's been a major positive sign for Toronto to secure two big wins over formidable opponents, in the Phoenix Suns and especially the Detroit Pistons (the powerhouse of the East). Brandon Ingram has delivered two explosive scoring performances in the process: 36 points on 78.0 percent true shooting against Phoenix and 34 points on 59.6 percent true shooting against Detroit.
Perhaps even more important for the Raptors to consider is Brandon Ingram's three-point shooting efficiency post-All-Star break. Despite his attempts dropping from 5.0 to 4.4 per game, his accuracy has increased from 36.5% to 43.4% — a great sign for a team that struggles in that category.
This is exactly the kind of development Toronto can evaluate and build upon as they head toward the postseason. Meanwhile, I'm sure the Raptors are also hoping to see more improvement from their other key star and franchise cornerstone, Scottie Barnes.