Brandon Ingram and the New Orleans Pelicans are arduously fighting to reach the eighth seed in the Western Conference, now only three games back of the Memphis Grizzlies thanks in part to the latter's three-game losing streak.
Earning that eighth seed would put Ingram in line to face his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, in the first round, giving him and a few of his teammates a chance for revenge after being dealt to The Big Easy in a trade for Anthony Davis this past summer. The Pelicans youngster hears the chatter about the possible matchup:
“That’s something that’s been talked about amongst everybody that I’ve seen around town,” Ingram told Sam Amick of The Athletic after a win over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night. “The coach (the Pelicans’ Alvin Gentry) has mentioned it a little bit. Of course the team likes to stay in the moment. We don’t look that far ahead, but the coaches have mentioned it a little bit. It would be fun to try to battle against them and see (if) we can get the best of them.”
Ingram is having a breakout season with the Pelicans now that he's separated from the obligations of playing with LeBron James. He's more free to expand his game after recovering from a scary blood clot that ended his 2018-19 season prematurely.
The Duke standout was viewed as one of the assets the Lakers were willing to give up to get Davis, along with point guard Lonzo Ball and shooting guard Josh Hart.
Brandon Ingram has no ill will toward his former team, but a chance to throw down against his former team isn't one he'd want to miss:
“No (hard feelings); they’ve got a superstar over there (in Davis),” said Ingram. “Of course we thought we were building something with the young core, but they had other plans. We understand it’s a business. I understand it’s a business. I don’t have any hard feelings or lost love for them. They made my dreams come true.”
The 22-year-old Pelicans stud is averaging a team-leading 24.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game in an All-Star campaign.
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