The New Orleans Pelicans got an important update on the injury status of second-leading scorer Brandon Ingram on Saturday, less than 24 hours prior to their matchup with Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns. Ingram has not played since Thursday, March 21 in a road game against the Orlando Magic and is an important piece for the Pelicans in their quest to improve playoff positioning in the Western Conference.
The Ingram injury news came amid additional injury news on Pelicans leading scorer Zion Williamson leading up to the Pelicans' eventual loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Meanwhile, Pelicans forward Herb Jones got praise reminiscent of Kawhi Leonard from legendary Spurs boss Greg Popovich.
On Saturday, the Pelicans' official NBA account revealed the Ingram news, and it was a mixed bag in terms of potential impact on the team.
Ingram, Pelicans Update Revealed
The update on Ingram was revealed near 9 p.m. ET on Saturday. Ingram was diagnosed with a left knee contusion as the result of hyperextending his knee. He will miss at least the next two games, but could return fairly soon if all goes according to plan during what could be an intense round of rehabilitation.
New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, who was diagnosed with a left knee one contusion as the result of hyperextending his knee on March 21, was re-evaluated this morning.
Ingram has been cleared to begin individual on-court workouts and will gradually increase the…
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) April 7, 2024
“By the time he comes back we will be the ten seed,” one fan said.
“He will be active for the final regular season game. I don't need to tell you why,” another fan added.
“Just enough time to get eliminated from playoff contention,” still another fan added. Another fan was a lot more optimistic in light of the news.
“Good news let's go,” they stated.
Pelicans Will Tangle With Suns
Ingram's defensive length and athleticism will be missed on Sunday when the Pelicans tangle with the Phoenix Suns. Kevin Durant is getting up there in age but his scoring average has remained sky-high. The Suns aren't quite a championship caliber team yet as they are just one spot ahead of the Pelicans for sixth place in the West, but they are still rounding into playoff form.
The Pelicans will need a big game from Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum without Ingram's scoring and defense. Williamson's breakout season has been must-see TV for long-struggling Pelicans fans as he has proved many doubters wrong, teaming beautifully with Ingram and McCollum to provide an explosive offensive attack, and hope for a franchise that had been stuck in the mud. The team's third-leading scorer CJ McCollum is hoping to continue his high scoring ways as well, but it will be tougher without Ingram to draw the attention of the defense near the top of the key.
Now it's up to Williamson and others to hold down the fort while Ingram recuperates, in preparation for what should be an exciting playoff run.
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