New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry believes that no other player in the NBA has taken a bigger leap this 2019-20 than Brandon Ingram.
In his first season with the Pelicans after a summer trade from the Los Angeles Lakers, the 22-year-old forward debuted in the All-Star game. Moreover, before the campaign was suspended in mid-March, BI was averaging 24.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists — all career-highs.
Considering Ingram's performance and All-Star selection, Gentry said that Ingram should easily win the Most Improved Player of the Year award.
“I’ll be very disappointed if he’s not the Most Improved Player, because he took a tremendous jump this year, in making the All-Star team and just overall, being that guy we could count on at the end of the game,” Gentry said, via Pelicans team insider Jim Eichenhofer.
For what it's worth, Alvin Gentry is not wrong here. Brandon Ingram has been really outstanding for the Pelicans all season long, and he has been their best player pretty much the entire year. The return of rookie sensation Zion Williamson from injury in January provided a significant boost in the team's stature, but prior to that, Ingram was the man who was keeping the ship afloat, so to speak.
Credit also needs to be given to the rest of Ingram's New Orleans teammates. Interestingly, Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball has also been thrown into the conversation for the Most Improved Player honor, which is testament to how this pair has flourished since parting ways with the Lakers last summer.
It remains to be seen who will be voted for the MIP honor, but there's no doubt that Ingram has a strong case to take home the award.
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