“It’s Over For Pelicans”: Brandon Ingram’s Concerning Injury Has Fans Suspecting the Worst For New Orleans

Sameen Nawathe | 09/12/2024
Brandon Ingram

The Pelicans’ injury crisis has gone from bad to worse. They were already missing superstar forward Zion Williamson, guards Jose Alvarado and Javonte Green, and center Daniel Theis. Now, forward Brandon Ingram has also joined them on the injury list.

Ingram hobbled off the court during the Pelicans 119-109 loss to the Thunder. He suffered the injury after landing awkwardly on OKC star Lu Dort’s leg and twisting it. He hit the deck and winced in agony before leaving the game.

According to NBA insider Shams Charania, the veteran suffered a low left ankle sprain and is sidelined indefinitely. Ingram had been a silver lining in a dismal campaign for the Pelicans. He was their best player this season, leading them in scoring with 22.2 points per game. He has also been their best playmaker, averaging 5.2 assists per game.

 

Fans on social media expressed their sympathy for the Pelicans faithful, who have witnessed all their stars suffer gruesome injuries and miss significant time this season. One wrote,

“This is terrible news. The Pelicans must have angered the basketball gods to a new extreme with the amount of injuries this club has taken.”

Another fan commented “It’s over for Pelicans,” signifying what might as well be the end of their season. With the team currently 5-19 and without Williamson and Ingram for the foreseeable future, there’s little hope that they’d be able to put themselves in a position to earn a playoff berth.

For a team already bottom of a super competitive West to lose its most consistent performer, it’s hard not to feel impending doom for its fans.

Could this be the last time we see Brandon Ingram as a Pelican?

Ingram and the Pelicans have been in a contract standstill for close to a year. The forward wants a massive extension to stay in New Orleans, but the team is unwilling to hand him a new deal due to his inconsistency during his six years with the franchise. They also tried to trade him to no avail.

The common consensus was that he’d either play well enough to convince the Pelicans to hand him a contract extension or leave the team as a free agent in the 2025 offseason. The longer Ingram is out, the less likely it becomes that he’d still be Pelican next season.

If he’s out for the year or decides to sit out to avoid aggravating his injury ahead of free agency, the game against the Thunder was perhaps the last time he suited up to represent New Orleans.

Post Edited By: Jay Mahesh Lokegaonkar
Brandon Ingram

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Sameen Nawathe

Sameen Nawathe is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Drawing from his extensive background in editing his university publications, Sameen brings a distinguished level of professionalism and editorial acumen to his position. With over a decade of practical sporting knowledge, he adeptly curates a spectrum of content, ranging from foundational sports highlights to insightful analysis of potential NBA trades. Sameen's passion for basketball ignited with LeBron James, whom he credits for sparking his love for the game. He fondly reminisces about James' 2018 season, which he often describes as "the best display of pure hoops we've ever seen". When he's not immersed in the world of writing or playing basketball, Sameen can be found enjoying Taylor Swift's music or passionately supporting Manchester United during soccer matches.

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