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When you’re trying to rebuild a roster, but many of your future draft picks have already been traded, creativity is critical. For Brooklyn’s front office earlier this decade, that meant identifying young players with potential on other NBA rosters, in the hopes of prying them loose via trade. One of the names at the top of the Nets’ and assistant general manager Trajan Langdon’s most-wanted list was Brandon Ingram.

It ended up requiring an address change for Langdon from the East Coast to the Gulf Coast – as well as a blockbuster trade with the Lakers – but in mid-June, Langdon finally landed the fellow Duke University product. Langdon joined New Orleans as GM on May 19; less than a month later the Pelicans dealt Anthony Davis for the 6-foot-9 Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart (somewhat ironically, that Lakers trio arrived along with a slew of future draft picks).

“We talked about Brandon a lot in Brooklyn,” Langdon recalled. “We had different guys that we kind of targeted, that if they ever came up in trade talks, we would love to go after. He was one guy we were always intrigued by, with his size, his skill level. More than anything else, his approach to the game. If you just watch him, he’s all about hoop. He just wants to go out and compete, play the game he loves. There is no off-the-court stuff that gets in the way.”

When he heard that no-nonsense description, Ingram agreed wholeheartedly, using a bit less diplomatic terminology than Langdon.

“I don’t tolerate any BS,” Ingram said. “I’m just kind of laidback and reserved. I lay back and see how I can do things the right way. I like to be straightforward with whatever I’m doing, whether it’s basketball, whether it’s meeting someone, whatever it is.”

“He gives off a chill vibe,” said Hart, now in his third season as an NBA teammate. “Nothing rattles him. He’s going to be chilling all day. He’s real cool, calm and collected.”

Ingram may be viewed as lowkey off the court, but he’s progressively gotten more dangerous to opponents on it, increasing his scoring average from 9.4 as a rookie, to 16.1 in Year 2, to 18.3 last season. His ’18-19 campaign was cut short by a blood condition, but he finished with a flourish, averaging 27.8 points over a six-game span, including 29 and 23 in separate late-February matchups vs. New Orleans.

Upon returning to action this preseason, the slender Ingram picked up from where he left off, dropping in 19 points at Atlanta in just 23 minutes, in his first NBA game in seven months. The Pelicans appreciate his ability to create offense for himself and believe he’s an underrated passer, having averaged three-plus assists each of the past two regular seasons.

“One thing you love about B.I. – he’s a very team-first guy,” said Hart, using the common teammate shorthand of Ingram’s initials. “When someone else is hot, he’s never looking at himself like, ‘I’ve got to get going.’ He’s very unselfish. He makes sure he goes out of his way to find that (teammate). You always need those kinds of guys, but also when there are certain times you need a bucket, just give him the ball and let him go to work.”

“His ability to make plays off the bounce or off the catch, with his size, length and high release, it makes him a really hard guard,” Langdon said. “It gives us another person who can find a shot at the end of shot clocks, which I think is something that really kind of gets overlooked in this league. You’ve got to have guys who can get shots off at any time. That’s one thing he can do.

“He makes the game incredibly easy at times. He can really, really score the ball, inside and out. He’s a good passer who’s gets in (to the paint) and is not afraid. Even though he’s a little light and we need to put some pounds on that frame, he’s not afraid to mix it up, get on the glass, attack the rim and get fouled, get to the line.”

Ingram played in a consistently up-tempo attack during his three Lakers seasons, as Los Angeles ranked in the top five in the NBA in pace each time, but New Orleans pushes the ball even more. Ingram is looking forward to demonstrating his ability in an offense that was No. 1 and No. 2 in tempo over the past two seasons, respectively, under Alvin Gentry.

“I think it’s going to be fun,” Ingram said, showing some rare animation while describing what he envisions in his debut season with the Pelicans. “Being in another system and being able to showcase my talent. Playing fast, being good at both ends of the floor, continuing to get better. That’s going to be fun.”

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Pelicans 2019 preseason profile: Brandon Ingram

Jim Eichenhofer

DALLAS – On a night when longtime Dallas franchise player Dirk Nowitzki made some NBA history, lesser-known names like Kenrich Williams, Frank Jackson and Cheick Diallo helped New Orleans pull off a much-needed, comeback victory.

After Nowitzki moved into sixth place on the all-time scoring list – passing legendary center Wilt Chamberlain – Pelicans trailed for much of the night, including by 10 at halftime. Relying mostly on lineups featuring reserves and young players, New Orleans outplayed Dallas after intermission, then took over in the first few minutes of overtime.

Williams made a momentous defensive play in the final seconds of regulation, picking off a Dallas pass in the backcourt, leading to a Julius Randle dunk that put the Pelicans in front by a point. Luka Doncic then sank a game-tying free throw with 1.9 seconds to go, forcing an extra five minutes of basketball.

Jackson drained a dagger three-pointer from the right wing, giving the Pelicans a seven-point lead with 32 seconds left in OT. Jackson’s trey sent many Dallas fans to the exits after a long night of hoops. The Pelicans iced the victory with free throws from there, even though the Mavericks kept getting two-point scores at the rim.

While Elfrid Payton notched a fifth consecutive triple-double – becoming just the fifth different player in NBA history to achieve that feat – Randle was instrumental in the fourth quarter, going on a prolonged stretch where he scored all of New Orleans’ points. Payton finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, benefiting from the extra five minutes, because he was just shy of a triple-double at the end of regulation. Randle deposited 30 points on 14/24 shooting from the field, also grabbing nine rebounds and handing out four assists.

After Randle experienced some Achilles soreness late in the fourth quarter of Monday’s game, Alvin Gentry opted to go with an exceptionally young lineup for OT. With Payton as the most tested Pelican on the floor, his extra-time teammates were second-round picks Jackson, Diallo and Darius Miller, as well as the undrafted Williams. The group staked the Pelicans to a quick lead en route to winning the OT session 19-15. Jackson and Payton tallied six OT points apiece, while Miller added five.

“It was great,” Payton said of several young Pelicans getting a chance to succeed in a tight spot. “Especially after what happened (Saturday in a bitter home loss to Phoenix). To be in a similar situation, and to be able to prevail. There was a big deflection at the end of regulation by Kenrich; a big three by (Jackson) in overtime to kind of seal the game. Obviously Darius and Cheick too – I don’t want to leave those guys out. It was huge for those guys.”

New Orleans has had more than its share of heartbreak this season, entering Monday with the NBA’s second-worst record in clutch time at 14-26, but on Monday the Pelicans were extremely resilient. They trailed by seven points in regulation with 3:36 left, then went on a 16-9 spurt to force OT.

“I think these are the kind of games that are really great for the young guys,” Gentry said. “The plays that Kenrich made defensively, the shots Frank made, having Cheick in the last five minutes. All of those things I think are really valuable as far as growing experience. Like I said, it was great to win the game but we have to look at the bigger picture, and the bigger picture is that we’ve got to continue to get our young guys better.”

11: New Orleans first-half turnovers, a problem area as the visitors went down by double digits.

6: New Orleans turnovers in the second half plus OT, with just one coming in the extra period. Payton had six assists and zero turnovers after intermission.

8-11-3-3: Williams’ stat line in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Perhaps most telling in terms of his impact was a plus-17 with the TCU rookie forward on the floor.

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Postgame wrap: Pelicans 129, Mavericks 125 (OT)

A look at three key numbers related to Thursday’s game at the Smoothie King Center between Oklahoma City and New Orleans (7 p.m. Central, TNT, WRNO 99.5 FM):

30: Combined points by Duke products Jahlil Okafor (18) and Frank Jackson (12) in New Orleans’ most recent meeting vs. Oklahoma City, on Jan. 24 in the Sooner State, part of a stretch during which Pelicans young players have gotten greater opportunities to contribute. The Thunder built a 98-82 lead through three quarters, but the pesky visitors provided a late scare by winning the fourth period 34-24, ultimately losing 122-116. Okafor was an excellent 9/12 from the field, while Jackson shot 6/13. The Jan. 24 matchup against the Thunder also marked the first time Kenrich Williams had played since Jan. 9 vs. Cleveland, as well as the first time the TCU product logged more than 15 minutes in any game as a pro. Williams had a quiet night in OKC (two points, four rebounds in 18 minutes), but two games later he pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds in a stunning New Orleans win at Houston. Williams has played at least 30 minutes in each of the past seven games.

89.0: Points per game New Orleans has averaged in its last two contests, setting a season low in scoring on both nights. After tallying 90 points at Memphis on Saturday, New Orleans mustered just 88 vs. Orlando on Tuesday. For the Pelicans to get back to how competitive they were prior to this two-game speed bump, they��ll need to ramp up their offensive effectiveness considerably. From Jan. 29 at Houston through Feb. 8 vs. Minnesota, New Orleans topped 120 points three times in a six-game span, while going 3-3. Even in their three losses, the Pelicans trailed Denver by a point with 1:30 remaining, had a chance to tie San Antonio with a three-pointer in the final seconds, then lost by two to Indiana. Not only have these last two games represented NOLA’s lowest point totals among its 58 games played this season, but they were also the club’s worst shooting games from the field, at 39.5 and 38.3 percent, respectively.

10: Consecutive games Russell Westbrook has registered a triple-double, an NBA record. The perennial All-Star will try to make it 11 in a row against New Orleans, after going for 21, 14 and 11 in a Monday home game vs. Portland (coincidentally, this 10-game streak also began in a home game vs. Portland, on Jan. 22). Westbrook hasn’t shot particularly well over this three-week stretch, reaching 50 percent from the field in just two of the 10 outings, but he’s done everything else well. As it turns out, his most impressive recent stat line was a 23-point, 17-rebound, 16-assist performance vs. New Orleans in a Jan. 24 home win for OKC.

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Behind the Numbers presented by HUB International: Thunder at Pelicans (2/14/19)

Kenrich Williams wasn’t a lottery pick last June. The TCU product wasn’t a draft pick, period.

Yet if you scan through the most recent NBA.com rookie rankings, Williams is listed just below the likes of international hoops superstar Luka Doncic (selected No. 3 overall in 2018), Phoenix No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton and Sacramento’s Marvin Bagley (No. 2). Stunningly, after going undrafted and appearing in just 12 of New Orleans’ first 48 games, it’s taken Williams only two weeks of significant playing time for Pelicans teammates such as Jrue Holiday to describe the 24-year-old as “a star, really. Someone who can come out and fill up the stat sheet. Offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds… he can lock up your best player.”

Amid an array of New Orleans injuries and other distractions, Williams has emerged as a welcomed bright spot on the court, averaging a well-rounded 12.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 blocks since he began logging major minutes seven games ago. During the same stretch, he’s shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three-point range, helping the Pelicans remain competitive by contributing in virtually every category.

It’s still very early in his pro career, but so far Williams is merely repeating what’s been his background in the sport. After going unselected in the draft, he gave this reaction to his hometown newspaper, the Waco (Texas) Tribune-Herald: “It feels good to be the underdog and come in and work. It’s like high school all over again. I didn’t get a scholarship out of high school, so I’ll just work hard and try to get in the NBA.”

Williams has immediately become a Pelicans fan favorite by bringing that attitude to the court, aggressively defending, outhustling opponents for loose balls and contested rebounds, while also showing an offensive skill set that was not evident during his brief cameos early in 2018-19. As a result, since Jan. 29 he’s had 16- and 13-rebound performances, a five-game streak of knocking down multiple three-pointers, as well as a 19-point second half vs. Minnesota on Friday.

“That’s what I want to do every game,” said Williams, soft-spoken off the court, but relentless on it. “I want to come out and play hard, get all of the 50-50 balls. Give it all I’ve got every time I’m on the court. It’s just a blessing to get the opportunity to come out and show what I can do. My main thing is go out and play hard. I let everything else take care of itself. Whatever happens, happens.”

What’s happened since Williams stepped into a much more prominent role has been exceptionally positive and a surprise to many. The 60th-ranked prospect on NBADraft.net’s Big Board last summer, Williams is now making a much bigger impact than the vast majority of players who heard their names called on draft night.

“He played a good game tonight,” Pelicans fourth-year head coach Alvin Gentry said after Saturday’s 99-90 defeat in Memphis. “He is going to play a good game most every night because he is going to do something on the floor that can help you.”

As Holiday referenced during his “star” description, many of Williams’ contributions can be measured in numbers – he approached a triple-double against the Grizzlies with 10 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists – but he’s also played unselfishly, run the floor well and been a gritty defender. New Orleans has been much more effective recently on the defensive end, an area that plagued them throughout ’18-19.

“He loves the challenge, honestly,” Holiday said of Williams’ defensive mindset. “Takes it on every single day. You saw it from the beginning of training camp, where he was coming at me. I like that. I like guys who are going to step up to the plate and take on the challenge. He’s been doing a great job.”

“Every time you’re on the court and you get to play, there is going to be a situation that comes up that’s going to help you down the line,” Gentry said of Williams’ invaluable playing time. “He’s doing what good basketball players do, especially ones with high IQ – they get better every game. Not necessarily have better stats, but get better every game from the standpoint of playing a complete game and being a complete player.”

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Undrafted Pelicans rookie Kenrich Williams making big impact

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