Miami Heat: Why a trade for Brandon Ingram is not worth it
By Zamir Bueno
Brandon Ingram’s improved shooting may still be concerning for the Miami Heat
Ingram has had two different chapters in his shooting career. Ingram made 34 percent of his catch and shoots during his first three seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers on 1.8 attempts. He performed worse on above the break threes as he converted 30.5 percent of his attempts on 1.2 shots per game.
Ingram’s struggles with above-the-break and catch-and-shoot threes contributed to him shooting 32.9 percent from behind the arc on 2.9 attempts per game. After his first three seasons in Los Angeles, he was included in a trade package for former Pelicans’ forward, Anthony Davis.
Upon arriving in New Orleans, Pelicans’ assistant, Fred Vinson, realized that something was wrong with Ingram’s shooting mechanics. He realized that Ingram’s legs were not aligned with his upper body; Ingram’s feet were pointed too far left of his target while his upper body was pointed toward the basket.
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Consequently, Ingram was generating most of his shot power from his arms. Vinson knew that Ingram had to get his whole body in alignment to allow him to generate shooting power from his legs. Therefore, he decided to put tape on several spots all over the practice floor to enable Ingram to go where the tape was and start mimicking his free throw shooting mechanics, which were in alignment.
After a couple of work sessions, Ingram corrected his shooting alignment, which allowed him to shoot way better over the next two seasons. Ingram converted 43 percent of his catch and shoots over the past two seasons on 4.3 attempts.
He also improved his above-the-break shooting as he made 39.4 percent of his field goals on 4.7 attempts per game. The combination of his success on above-the-break and catch-and-shoot threes were the catalyst for him shooting 38.6 percent from behind the arc over the past two seasons on 6.2 attempts per game.
If Ingram can keep his shooting form in alignment, he would be a good fit for the Heat on the court. But if he falls back into the habits he had in Los Angeles, it could be an awful experiment. Ingram’s shooting’s uncertainty is not the only issue that the Heat will face if they want to acquire him.