Brandon Ingram

The Pelicans underwent significant changes last season. Lonzo Ball was sent to the Bulls in a sign-and-trade, Jonas Valanciunas came over from the Grizzlies, and Zion Williamson started out on the sidelines. Williamson would end up not appearing in a single game, leaving Ingram to shoulder more of the scoring load. New Orleans eventually brought in CJ McCollum to help offset the loss of Ball, but Ingram still finished with terrific averages of 22.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.3 three-pointers per game. With a full season of McCollum in the fold, and Williamson looking ready to return, Ingram could see a decline in two areas. First, it will likely be difficult for him to duplicate what was a career-high 29.3 percent usage rate. Second, his assists totals could decline. Not only is McCollum a good passer, but Williamson averaged 3.7 assists during the 2020-21 season. Ingram's overall averages could still make him a valuable fantasy option, but asking him to match his numbers from last season might be too much. On the bright side, he's an asset with his efficiency, shooting at least 46.1 percent from the field and 82.6 percent from the free-throw line in each of the last three seasons.

Ingram's 2020-21 campaign was quite similar to his 2019-20 season, though he was unable to repeat as a Western Conference All-Star. The forward saw 34.3 minutes per game and averaged 23.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.3 combined steals-plus-blocks. He also owned the league's 20th-best free-throw percentage (87.8%), making 4.6 per contest. Those numbers led to him ranking 39th in fantasy on a per-game basis -- a dip from his rank of 22nd in 2019-20. The 24-year-old will continue fighting for touches with teammate Zion Williamson. While both young players are the primary offensive engines of the Pelicans, the organizational focus will always be on making sure Williamson is happy -- even if that's at the cost of some usage for Ingram. As a result, Ingram's numbers could again stagnate. That shouldn't discourage fantasy managers from taking a chance on him, however, as he's a proven young player and always has the potential to improve. Given that he should be able to closely replicate his numbers from the last two seasons, Ingram makes for a solid third-round target in standard leagues.

Ingram had a breakout 2019-20 season -- his fourth year in the league and first campaign with the Pelicans. He set career highs essentially across the board, averaging 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.4 threes and 1.0 steals in 33.9 minutes. He drastically increased his efficiency from the free-throw line as well, shooting 85.1 percent after just 67.5 percent the year prior. The result was his first All-Star selection at just 22 years old. Ingram's leap practically won some fantasy managers their leagues, as he was outside of the top-150 the year prior on a per-game basis, jumping to a rank of 22 in eight-category leagues. Even though Ingram's stats took a slight dip after Zion Williamson debuted, the former will remain a key piece of New Orleans' rebuild going forward, and he's still young enough to continue making real strides to his game, especially as a playmaker and defender. Heading into 2020-21, it seems reasonable to expect Ingram to produce as he did in 2019-20, which will prompt many fantasy managers to confidently select him in the third round.

The Lakers first season with LeBron James didn't go as planned. Not only was the roster poorly constructed around him, but injuries to several key players helped keep Los Angeles from making the playoffs. One of those players who missed time was Ingram, who played in only 52 games. That came on the heels of him playing 59 games in the 2017-18 season, so injuries have had an impact on his development. The good news is that when he was on the floor, he showed improvement by averaging 18.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists. His shooting percentage has increased each season that he's been in the league, topping out at 49.7% last year. However, he's a liability with his career 66.2 percent shooting from the charity stripe, and he also provides very little in terms of defensive stats and three-pointers. Now a member of the Pelicans, expect him to start at small forward and serve as one of New Orleans' primary scoring options. With that being said, he'll need to show that he can stay healthy to take his fantasy value to the next level.

Injuries limited Ingram to 59 games last season, his second year in the league, though he started each one and averaged 33.5 minutes. Due to a boost in workload over his rookie campaign, Ingram set career highs nearly across the board, registering 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and a combined 1.5 steals/blocks per contest. He also dramatically improved his efficiency, bumping his true shooting percentage up from 47.4 to 53.6. This season, the former second overall pick will probably be asked to handle the ball less, as LeBron James joined the team over the summer. However, Ingram should still see see 30-plus minutes on a regular basis, and may benefit from LeBron’s presence by getting cleaner looks, especially from beyond the arc. Considering he tied with Kyle Kuzma and Julius Randle (no longer on the team) for the most points per game (16.1), it’s feasible Ingram could take over as the team’s second option in 2018-19. That possibility gives him significant upside in Fantasy.

After the 76ers took Ben Simmons with the No. 1 overall pick in last June’s draft, it was an easy decision for the Lakers to select Ingram, a 6-foot-9 swingman who some talent evaluators actually preferred in the pre-draft process due to his superhuman length (7-foot-3 wingspan) and smooth outside shot. The rebuilding Lakers had the luxury of easing Ingram into NBA life by bringing him off the bench behind veteran Luol Deng initially, but when the team was quickly removed from playoff consideration, coach Luke Walton turned the rookie loose. While Ingram occasionally demonstrated flashes of excellence, on the whole, he was about as raw as one would expect a 19-year-old to be. Ingram averaged 9.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 28.8 minutes per game in 79 appearances and shot poorly from the field (40.2 percent), 3-point range (29.4 percent) and charity stripe (62.1 percent). It was a far cry from the efficiency he demonstrated during his sole season at Duke, and suggests that the NBA learning curve may be steeper than expected for Ingram, in spite of his impressive physical tools. If there’s a positive takeaway, it’s that Ingram improved as the season wore on, turning in 13.2 points (on 47.5 percent shooting) after the All-Star break. With the benefit of another NBA training camp and a full offseason to add strength to his lithe frame, Ingram should build on his strong second half and hold down a 30-plus-minute role throughout 2017-18 as the Lakers’ projected starting small forward. A full-on breakout may not be in the cards for Ingram, but incremental improvements in most statistical categories can probably be expected. That may be enough for Ingram to justify his price in Fantasy drafts and auctions.

Expectations are sky high for Ingram, the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, who will be tasked with leading a rebuild of one of the league’s proudest franchises. In the long term, Ingram projects as a devastating wing scorer, pairing prototypical athleticism and length with above-average ball-handling skills for a 6-foot-9 player. How ready he’ll be to contribute as a rookie, however, remains to be seen. The biggest question mark with Ingram has always been his rail-thin, 190-pound frame and how it will hold up to the rigors of the NBA. While there’s no question he’ll need to add weight as his career progresses, Ingram, at age 19, is comfortable operating on the perimeter off the dribble and crafty enough around the rim to ease any major concerns. He’ll likely struggle with shooting efficiency, as most rookies do, but should still provide adequate scoring and rebounding numbers. Ingram showed flashes of playmaking ability off the dribble during his lone season at Duke, but that area of his game still needs work, so he’s unlikely to be a strong source of assists as a rookie.