When the Toronto Raptors acquired Brandon Ingram back in February, there wasn't much fanfare that came as a result of the trade. After all, Ingram was on the mend with recurring ankle woes, and the New Orleans Pelicans couldn't seem to get him consistently healthy. But Ingram is proving to be a transformative presence for the Raptors. Ingram hasn't yet missed a single game this season for the nascent Raptors, and on Monday, he led them to a 110-99 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
On Monday night, Ingram put up a season-high 37 points for the Raptors that doubles as his career-high for his new team, as he made mincemeat of a shorthanded Cavs squad that had troubles dealing with him defensively. He made 15 of his 30 field goals on the night, and with RJ Barrett out, he took it upon himself to be the main man on offense for his team.
And letting Ingram destroy his defenders appears to be the game plan for the Raptors, if Scottie Barnes' postgame comments are any indication.
“Give him the ball, get out the way, he's gonna put it in the basket,” Barnes said, per William Lou of hello and welcome Podcast.
Ingram seems to be at his best when he's a featured part of the offense, and the Raptors have certainly understood what it takes to bring out the best in him. And to Ingram's credit, he's been getting the job done. With games like these, the team is only going to trust him more and more that he has what it takes to lead the team back to the postseason — and perhaps make some noise once they get there.
Brandon Ingram's career gets revived with the Raptors
As has been the case for former Pelicans players, their careers seem to get better once they get away from New Orleans. Dyson Daniels emerged as one of the best defenders in the league when the Atlanta Hawks acquired him. And now, Ingram is playing some of the best basketball of his career, repaying Toronto's faith in him.
They will look to keep it going on Wednesday when they face the moribund Indiana Pacers in NBA Cup action.
