- Brandon Ingram has been largely ineffective at the 2023 FIBA World Cup
- Ingram has failed to score in double-digits in each of his four games
- NBA fans reacted to his poor showings
Team USA has been perfect at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, but it’s certainly not due to Brandon Ingram. The New Orleans Pelicans star has really failed to make any sort of impact so far, and his stat lines are a somewhat depressing read at the moment.
Brandon Ingram in the World Cup so far pic.twitter.com/5RRFgtQckA
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 1, 2023
NBA fans reacted to Ingram’s struggles by roasting him.
One called Ingram a “terrible hooper.”
Terrible hooper
— Mike (@MikeAdxx) September 1, 2023
A fan believes Austin Reaves is just better than Ingram.
https://twitter.com/rxhabszn/status/1697605514706976842
One fan thinks Ingram is just overrated.
https://twitter.com/yungfelakut1/status/1697634614838464882
Ingram was compared to Anthony Bennett by one fan.
Ingram in the World Cup pic.twitter.com/24toz76EVJ
— SWISH (@swishbanksX) September 1, 2023
A fan says Ingram just hasn’t learned how to play off the ball.
Still hasn’t learned how to play off the ball consistently.
He is young so he has time to develop that skill set but it won’t happen on the Pelicans unless they get a true PG.
— ⚡️ Virgil Hawkins⚡️ (@ColeWorldSIMBA) September 1, 2023
It’s normal for players to see a dip in their averages when playing for Team USA, but not to this extent.
Ingram averaged an impressive 24.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in the 2022-23 season for the Pelicans. With Team USA, his averages have gone down to 4.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 0.3 steals per game, which is just not good enough.
Steve Kerr Spoke About Benching Brandon Ingram
It just has not been working for Ingram in this setup, and it only seemed like a matter of time before we saw a change, and it happened after two games.
Head coach Steve Kerr explained that Ingram got benched for Josh Hart against Jordan, as he felt the 2020 All-Star was better off the bench. It allowed him to have more of the ball, and he produced 5 assists with it, something Kerr appreciated.
It didn’t go quite so well against Montenegro, however, as Ingram only had 2 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, but Team USA still won 85-73 to improve to 4-0.
Brandon Ingram Reflected On His Struggles With Team USA
The first sign that things weren’t going great came right after their first game against New Zealand. The U.S. won 99-72, but Ingram just had 2 points.
After the game, Ingram admitted he wasn’t happy with his role with Team USA. It was totally different than what he was accustomed to, but with the team winning, he didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.
Getting relegated to a bench role after that wouldn’t have been a pleasant experience, but again, he is not causing trouble because of it. Ingram reflected on his World Cup struggles recently, and he made it clear he was going to be professional about the whole situation.
Ingram has been the focal point on offense for basically his entire basketball career and some players who are used to that, struggle in this kind of setup. It’s a bit more drastic in his instance, but it doesn’t mean he isn’t a great player.
As for his and Team USA’s next assignment, they take on Lithuania on Sunday. It is going to be their toughest game yet, with the Lithuanians also sporting a 4-0 record.
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