Brandon Ingram gives the Philadelphia 76ers an ideal backup plan in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Ben Simmons. The aura surrounding the 19-year-old frosh at LSU has been an apparent theme throughout the first couple of months in the season. He’s dominated headlines with his rare versatility and robust averages of 19.0 PPG, 14.8 RPG and 2.5 SPG.
Simmons, despite competing on a flawed LSU team that’s compiled an underwhelming 5-4 record so far, is arguably the gem of many lottery-bound NBA teams this season. For the 1-26 Philadelphia 76ers, he’s a locked in target for their pursuit of stars.
However, the chances of landing Simmons via the 2016 NBA Draft, if the combo forward does decide to come out, aren’t favorable. If they finish the season with the lowest amount of wins, the Sixers’ odds of getting the No. 1 pick are still just 25 percent. Thus, a bevy of other potential options open up for the team.
If the Sixers are unable to “land the plane,” to quote Philadelphia sports mogul Howard Eskin, and secure the No. 1 draft slot, there are other talents available that convey the outcome of a successful draft selection. In terms of fit, Duke forward Brandon Ingram encompasses the theme ideally for a team clamoring for production from their wings.
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Starting small forward Robert Covington has been a revelation since joining the team last season and is second on the team in points per game (13.7), first in steals per game (2.2) and is proving to be a complementary three-point specialist to converted starting shooting guard Isaiah Canaan.
However, with the vitality of securing an eventual point guard, it’s difficult envisioning Sam Hinkie and Co. passing over a wing like Ingram for an inferior prospect at another position of need.
With Covington yet to fire with consistency from the floor this season — only shooting 38.9 percent from the floor and 32.6 percent from deep in an injury riddle season — Ingram’s talents are warranted for a starting gig alongside the Sixers’ core foundation down low.
Just glancing at Ingram, his size is a glaring plus. Per DraftExpress.com, the Kinston, N.C. native operates at 6’9″ with an elongated 7’3″ wingspan and has drawn comparisons to former Texas Longhorn Kevin Durant when it comes to build when KD was a freshman at Texas in 2007. Blending developing athleticism with a frame built for efficiency, Ingram has no deterrence to his looks from the perimeter or on the elbow.
While he could overmatch high school competition with talent and athleticism alone, he’s become a more well-rounded scorer during his short tenure at Duke. He’s not hoisting threes ad nauseum in an attempt to showcase his depth resume for the next level.
Three of Duke’s starters (Grayson Allen, Matt Jones, Luke Kennard) have incorporated the three-point look more into their game this season than Ingram has, per Hoopmath.com.
The shots from behind the arc simply weren’t falling for Ingram in his first five games at the collegiate level, as he went a combined 5-for-19 from deep and struggled to impress. In the stratosphere of the one-and-done, showing the propensity to dominate Division I hoops early is a necessity to stamp on an NBA Draft resume.
In December, however, Ingram has been nothing short of dominant. Against Indiana, Ingram relocated the stroke he was billed for and went off on Tom Creen’s Hoosiers for 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the floor.
In addition, the selling point for Ingram doesn’t end on his ability to create points. Heavily scrutinized for his slender frame, Ingram has bodied in the post, using his emerging 196-pound frame to average 5.4 RPG. Playing against wings, his height and length make up for the girth given up. When he’s on interior presences, he’ll have to continue to bulk up in order to compete down low on the defensive end.
Against the hyper-competive ACC, Ingram’s game and ability to play like an upperclassmen will determine if his staying power among the freshman elite is warranted.
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In terms of how he would fit on a struggling Sixers unit, it’s a basic formula of need and role that plays favorably to his appeal. Ingram is mocked as the No. 2 slot on sites such as Draftexpress.com and Tankathon.com, overtaking Kentucky’s Skal Labissiere as the proverbial Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to Ben Simmons’ Anthony Davis.
Simmons is the unquestioned star of this year’s class, but as a 6’10” point forward with limited shooting ability at this stage of his career, his skill-set would be more appealing to a team that didn’t select three straight centers with their first pick.
For a team heavily invested in their interior players, getting a perimeter scorer like Ingram would allow spacing for low-block operators like Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor. Through 10 games, Ingram is shooting 48.6 percent on two-point shots and has elevated his three-point efficiency to 35.6 percent, per Hoopmath.com.
The Sixers evidently don’t need just a scorer, but someone who can create with the ball. That aspect has been lacking on the Sixers frontcourt and backcourt units for many years. Outside of combo guard Tony Wroten and Jerami Grant, Philadelphia has few players athletic and quick enough to beat their man off the dribble and effectively attack the basket.
Ingram is shooting 64.3 percent at the rim, per Hoopmath.com, and hasn’t had consistent issues with weight limiting his proficiency near the basket. While not as athletic as his possible draft counterpart Jaylen Brown (both are expected to be two wings selected within the first five picks in the upcoming draft), Ingram has enough athleticism in his frame to put on spectacles like these:
Another thing propelling Ingram’s stock is that he’s one of the youngest draft eligible players, just turning 18 in September. Learning basketball intricacies from Mike Krzyzewski can’t hurt and Ingram looks to be playing in another gear.
With added bulk and a fervor to become a two-way player, Ingram could blossom into one of the draft’s scintillating talents from an upside and ceiling potential.
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With a potent outside game and an upcoming schedule ideal for cementing Ingram’s status among his draft counterparts, the Sixers have another target to gauge. Fit might not be in Sam Hinkie’s elaborate dictionary, but Ingram is a bulletproof wing prospect that could “fit” both a need and encompass the best player available role after Ben Simmons.