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Right before the trade deadline, almost everyone in the hobby wrote the New Orleans Pelicans off from the playoff race. With the departure of Lonzo Ball and the continued absence of Zion Williamson, there was no way for Brandon Ingram to carry The Big Easy all the way to the postseason.
But as fate would have it, there seems to be a reversal in the Pelicans' fortunes recently. With the arrival of CJ McCollum, New Orleans has suddenly found a lot of fight in them as the regular season races to its end. If things go according to the franchise's plans, they can fight for a spot in the play-in tournament, and even sneak into the playoffs itself.
Of course, one of the beneficiaries of this potential development is Ingram. We take a look below at why his rookie cards are showing signs of being a surprisingly good option for collectors.
Brandon Ingram has been consistently good for the New Orleans Pelicans
It was unfair for some basketball fans to expect Ingram was going to be the Los Angeles Lakers' savior when he was drafted in 2016. Right off the bat, Ingram averaged 9.4 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in the 79 games he played as a rookie. But while those numbers look horrendous, the 6'8″ forward never gave up and continued developing in the years that came after.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-BR0Qxzm80
All of his hard work would eventually culminate during the 2019-20 season, his second one as a Pelican, when the league bestowed him with the Most Improved Player award. At the same time, Ingram was also named to his first All-Star game after posting averages of 23.8 points on 46/39/85 shooting splits, 6.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and a single steal per contest.
At age 24 with six seasons under his belt, Ingram is still putting up great numbers for the Pelicans on a nightly basis. Although his numbers slightly dipped from that All-Star season, the forward is still averaging 22.5 points on 46% shooting from the field, 33% from three, and 81% from the foul line. He's also contributing 5.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game as New Orleans continues to fight for their playoff chances.
Those numbers would show up recently in a big way. At the start of this month, Ingram exploded for 33 points when he connected 79% of his field goals, including 2-for-3 from downtown while getting 5 rebounds and 6 assists against the Sacramento Kings. In the end, the All-Star forward led New Orleans to a dominant 125-95 victory against De'Aaron Fox and company.
As it stands, Ingram's talent on the offensive end of the court over the past few seasons speaks for itself. It's just a shame that he gets buried amidst all the drama surrounding Zion Williamson and the Pelicans' frustrating record. Nevertheless, if based on talent alone, Ingram deserves to be recognized more in the market.
The potential of an Ingram-McCollum-Williamson trio is exciting
As mentioned earlier, Ingram alone can't push the Pelicans towards relevance and constant playoff appearances. Thankfully, the front office managed to trade for McCollum to solve their backcourt and shot creation needs.
Since CJ McCollum was traded to the Pelicans, he and Brandon Ingram are averaging 47.0 points and 11.4 assists while shooting 52.0 percent from the field.
New Orleans is +8.1 points per 100 possessions when both are on the floor.
— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) March 5, 2022
In the nine games McCollum has played for New Orleans, the shooting guard is notching 26.3 points on 52/40/76 shooting splits, 5.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per contest. Add Ingram's numbers to those of McCollum and collectors will end up with a nasty one-two punch combo for the Pelicans.
Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum since the all-star break pic.twitter.com/UEyhTZ2tZo
— Highbrow of Sportsman’s Paradise (@iDontKnowCutno) March 5, 2022
The scary thing here is that Williamson isn't in the mix yet. The Pelicans' front office has confirmed that the 2019 number one pick has been cleared to progress in basketball activities. If things go better than expected, the trio of Ingram, McCollum, and Williamson can end the regular season and make a mad dash towards a spot in the play-in tournament and potentially make the playoffs.
If that doesn't materialize, next season will be an exciting one for Pelicans' fans and a frightening one for opposing squads with this trio on the floor. This exciting possibility will certainly place those Brandon Ingram rookie cards on an upward trajectory in the market.
The state of Brandon Ingram rookie cards
Over the past few years, Ingram's stock in the card market has largely gone unnoticed. With other young stars on the rise, it's not hard to imagine why his rookie cards have become more of an afterthought to collectors.
In a three-month graph by Card Ladder, Ingram's PSA 10 base Prizm rookie card has gone down from $60 to 44. This represents a 26.67% drop over the course of 58 confirmed sales in the market.
Ingram's rarer rookie card, his PSA 10 Prizm Silver, is slightly doing better than the base. In another Card Ladder graph covering the same period, it has gone up from $355 to $400. That's a 12.68% increase from 11 sales during that period.
All things considered, Ingram's rookie cards aren't that expensive in the market. The great thing about them is there's definitely a lot of room for them to grow in when Zion comes back or they potentially have a better record next season.
The verdict on Brandon Ingram rookie cards
When considering Ingram's stock in the card market, there are two factors to keep in mind. First is his consistency, specifically on the offensive end of the court. As long as the forward continues to put up those numbers, and eventually improve more, he'll continue to be one of the more reliable rookie stocks in the hobby.
Second, and more importantly, is how the trio of Ingram, McCollum, and Williamson will perform in the near future. On paper, these three can put up a pretty good fight against the best teams in the NBA. If they manage to play well together before the season ends or during the following one, collectors can expect Ingram's value to get a boost.
On the other hand, hobbyists should keep an eye out for injuries and rumors connected to Williamson. If these two get out of hand, the Pelicans can bear the brunt of these consequences. This will also result in a decrease in value when it comes to Brandon Ingram rookie cards.
Even with these two factors, Ingram's current value is promising enough for collectors to consider. Of course, it gets better if the Pelicans exceed everyone's expectations sooner than later.
