He’s been an All-Star before. He’s averaged 20-plus points every year since he arrived in New Orleans.
The motivation for Brandon Ingram these days doesn’t have much to do with individual awards or achievements. Now in his sixth NBA season, the 24-year-old wants to participate in the postseason for the first time. Sure, it would’ve been nice to be recognized by the league and Western Conference coaches while earning a second All-Star berth last week, but Ingram has the bigger picture in mind.
“Of course as a competitor you can be upset at things like that,” Ingram said of not being named a 2022 All-Star, “but I think I took a different approach.
“Not making All-Star hasn’t been on my mind a lot. I think it would be forcing the issue if it were on my mind. Right now I have another goal in mind, and that’s winning, (getting to) the playoffs, maybe make the All-NBA team. My goal is to get to the playoffs and continue to win.”
New Orleans (21-32) took a step toward that by moving into the West’s top 10, leapfrogging Portland (21-33) by virtue of Sunday’s win at Houston. After starting the season 3-16, the Pelicans have gone 18-16, gaining a whopping eight games in the standings on the Trail Blazers in that span.
“I’ve just been encouraged,” Ingram said of his team’s turnaround. “Just by the work everyone has put it in every single day. We always had the goal to get to the playoffs, and it’s looking like a real thing right now.”
Ingram has been a huge reason for that, with New Orleans going 16-11 in games he’s played since Nov. 24. Though he’s not preoccupied with individual accolades, one did arrive Monday after practice, when he was named Western Conference Player of the Week. It’s the third time in his career he’s won that award. Ingram tied his career high in consecutive games by handing out 12 assists in wins at Denver and Detroit. The Pelicans won all three games he played, as he averaged 27.3 points.
“This year he’s taken another step in terms of being a playmaker and getting guys involved,” said Pelicans guard/forward Josh Hart, a teammate for five seasons, dating back to their Lakers days. “Every year he’s improved different aspects of his game and is really a complete player right now.”
Other notes from Monday’s practice:
Hart logged 36 minutes Sunday after being sidelined for the previous two games due to a knee contusion, but said he should be fine to play Tuesday, when the Pelicans face the Rockets in a rematch, this time in the Big Easy.
“I’ll be good for tomorrow,” Hart said, smiling. “I just need to go home and just relax, play some video games and call it a day.”