‘He’s a hooper’s hooper,’ Webster on Ingram and his fit in Toronto

The Toronto Raptors have a new shiny toy that they are just getting ready to unbox, and his name is Brandon Ingram.

The Dinos acquired the 28-year-old from the New Orleans Pelicans back at last year’s trade deadline, but he did not suit up for any games with his new team last season after dealing with an ankle sprain that limited him to only 18 games.

Heading into the brand new campaign, however, Raptors general manager Bobby Webster confirmed that the new acquisition will be ready to go.

“Brandon’s healthy,” Webster said. “There haven’t been any limitations so far; it was an ankle sprain, which is different than having surgery or something like that. We’ll see how preseason goes, we’ll see how he responds to playing 32, 35 minutes a night. So maybe the jury is out there, but no current plans for [load management] with Brandon.”

Webster has been a big fan of Ingram since the 2016 draft, when the Raptors held a lottery pick. The 6-foot-8, 190-pound forward would end up not making it to the ninth overall selection, going second overall to the Los Angeles Lakers instead (Toronto selected Jakob Poeltl). They scouted Ingram pretty well during that time, however, and of course, have followed his NBA career.

“He’s a hooper’s hooper,” said Webster. “High, high level of skill, three-level scorer. Not interested in what’s going on off the court, not all that interested in what people say about him.

“The shot creation obviously is clear, he’s one of the few guys who can go get his own shot, but also can go get a pretty efficient shot on his own. I think that’s something we have lacked a bit in prior years.”

The Duke alum hasn’t played in a game since Dec. 7, but was affecting the game positively before he went out. Ingram averaged 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.5 stocks while shooting 46.5 per cent from the field and 37.4 per cent from distance in his 595 total minutes last year.

Throughout his nine-year NBA career, Ingram has captured the Most Improved Player award (2019-2020) and has an All-Star appearance to his name. Ingram also has career averages of 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.3 stocks.

Ingram’s ability is a shot in the arm for Toronto’s 26th-ranked offence from the season prior, as his talent could help alleviate some half-court offensive struggles the team has faced.

The question is, how will the team look on the court? That’s what everyone is waiting to see, including the Raptors themselves.

“The talent level is high, we still have to see the fit, said Webster. “I think that’s what everyone is waiting to see, and has been waiting for a while, so we’re waiting right there with you, but we have enough talent.”

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