re: ESPN writer: Most NBA execs don't believe that Ingram is worth a max contract

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The games I’ve watched of him, he seems like a volume scorer that struggles when you cut his volume and ask him to play a smaller role

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In the 8 games BI played with Zion, BI averaged 21 points on 15.5 shots per game. 40% from 3.

Small sample, but

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Ingram per-36 with Zion off the court (1,467 minutes): 26.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, one steal; 47.4/40.2/85.8 shooting splits; 1.36 assist-to-turnover ratio; .600 true shooting percentage

Ingram per-36 with Zion on the court (134 minutes): 25.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.1 steals; 46.4/37.9/90.5 shooting splits; 2.50 assist-to-turnover ratio; .601 true shooting percentage

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In the seven full games Ingram played with a healthy Zion, Ingram’s overall footprint within the Pelicans’ offense did shrink a bit; he averaged about 11 fewer touches per game than he had before Zion’s arrival, with reductions in his average time of possession, seconds per touch, and dribbles per touch. One thing that didn’t decrease, though: Ingram’s average number of points scored per touch. That went up, from 0.37 pre-Zion to 0.382 after his debut.

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The Ringer- 5 Most Interesting Teams of the Stretch Run

I think it is true that there were some games this year that he’s been reduced to only a “volume scorer,” but that’s been mostly out of necessity. Going into this season, plenty of people were not fans of Ingram’s game, myself included. He had way too many question marks surrounding him. But out of these question marks, which ones do you think he hasn’t improved on this year or outright answered?

- Long-term health implications (cleared)
- Shaky 3pt and FT shooter (40% and 86%)
- Ball stopper on offense (still an issue sometimes, but his AST% is +7.1% from last year, while TOV% has decreased to career low)
- Poor shot selection (taking 9% less shots in the “dummy area” and increased 3p volume)
- Lacks athleticism to get to the rim (has been a little better, but still not his strength. Has instead been using his dribble to get to his spots on the floor, reflected in the fact that his TS% is up 5% while his ast’d FGs are down 9%)
- Lacks the strength and lateral quickness to defend his position (The jury is still out, but his STL% BLK% DRB % and TRB% are all career highs. Adding muscle and getting stronger will help with that).

It’s not about paying for the player Ingram is now, it’s about paying him for what you think he projects to be. He still has some attributes of being only a “volume scorer,” and, though I’d still be hesitant to give him a max personally, you can’t argue that he hasn’t checked almost every box this season.