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Brandon Ingram – 6’9 Small Forward, Duke, 18 years old
This draft is considered by many a two-man draft; after Ben Simmons it is widely believed that Brandon Ingram is the consolation prize, but how valuable is Brandon Ingram? Well, the stellar freshman from Duke averaged 17.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.1 spg, and 1.4 bpg during the whole season. His frame as an athlete is quite astonishing when you look at it, as he stands at 6’9 feet and pair it with his standing reach of 9’1 ft. Oh and I forgot to mention his wingspan is 7’3, which is pretty good for anyone aspiring to be a star in the pros. After failing to give Duke what would have been its second consecutive national championship, Brandon Ingram is ready to take the next step in his basketball career in the 2016 NBA Draft, where he is considered one of the top two franchise changing players.
Strengths – Wingspan, wingspan, wingspan, that is probably the reason he is considered by many the best long term prospect in this year’s draft. And his wingspan is not just for show, he has shown multiple times in the past that he knows how to use his long arms well, as he is an extremely efficient player finishing around the rim. Another thing that stood out from his skillset is his shooting, Brandon Ingram is a lights out shooter especially from midrange; with his size he can easily shoot above his defenders and his three point shooting is coming along as well, as he shot 41 percent from beyond the arc on 5 attempts per game. On the fastbreak he is extremely effective, especially when he gets the ball from the three point line. Because of his long strides, he only needs one or two dribbles, and he is at the basket already. His defense is certainly not amazing, but he has shown flashes of brilliance on the defensive side of the court, and with his wingspan he will certainly improve in that area of the game.
Weaknesses – Despite his amazing frame, he is actually really frail considering he only weighs a little above 190 pounds, and that won’t cut it especially in the NBA. Like I said earlier, he is not an amazing defender. Against his peers in the college level Brandon Ingram showed flashes of brilliance defensively, but we don’t know yet if his body can take the toll of guarding elite forwards like LeBron James, Paul George, Draymond Green, etc,. He definitely needs to work on his body as soon as possible. He is also not a terrific passer nor a great ball handler, something that is required to be a successful small forward in the NBA. Although he can dribble effectively with his right hand, he needs to work on his left hand in order for him to create his own shot. With a respectable handle we might just see the second coming of a certain MVP in Oklahoma City.
NBA Potential – Brandon Ingram has all the right tools needed to become a superstar in this league. He is the type of player that you want to build your franchise around for years to come, whether that is true or not it depends on his work ethic. Personally I believe he will become a multiple time All-Star and a key contributor to a rising team.
NBA Comparison – The frame, the skillset, the way he carries himself off the court is exactly how Kevin Durant came in this league back in 2007. Remove Durant’s ball handling and you have Brandon Ingram. Now I’m not saying he’s going to be as good as Durant because that depends on his work ethic. If we see a lazy player in Ingram he might just be the next Travis Outlaw – all length, no skill.
With his potential still unlocked, Brandon Ingram is definitely in the radar of the top two teams picking in the year’s draft. He has the world on the palm of his hands. The only question is, how will he handle it? Stay tuned and find out. For now check out all of our NBA Draft players profiles.
