- Steve Kerr liked Brandon Ingram moving to the bench unit
- The Team USA coach noted that Ingram enjoyed the switch
- Kerr also appreciated Ingram’s handling of the situation
There is no doubt that the 2023 FIBA World Cup is going well for Team USA thus far. The team is undefeated as of right now, winning contests against New Zealand, Greece, and Jordan. However, coach Steve Kerr is clearly still tinkering with the lineups for the squad.
We recently saw star Brandon Ingram get benched for Josh Hart in Team USA’s game against Jordan. Though Ingram is clearly the more talented player, Steve Kerr recently revealed why he made the switch, with his explanation making a lot of sense.
“I really liked the lineup shift for BI,” Kerr said per Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “The game was much smoother. He had five assists. There was more space, he had the ball more. I know he enjoyed it. … I can’t speak highly enough of BI, just his character and the way he handled that because he’s not used to coming off the bench and he was playing fine. It wasn’t, you know, he wasn’t really struggling. He just wasn’t featured in that lineup.”
It is true that Brandon Ingram performed much better with the bench unit in the game against Jordan. The forward was more aggressive and was able to utilize his playmaking ability to find teammates open for 3PT shots. He finished with 7 points and 5 assists in just 15 minutes.
This past season with the New Orleans Pelicans, Brandon Ingram averaged 24.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game, while shooting 39.0% from 3PT range. It’ll be interesting to see how he performs for the rest of this tournament, and hopefully, better things are on their way for the star.
Brandon Ingram Was Getting Frustrated With His Role On Team USA
There is no doubt that Brandon Ingram’s performances with the starting lineup were frustrating for both him and the fans. In fact, Ingram previously admitted that he was not happy with his role on Team USA.
“This is totally different than what I am used to. The team is winning right now, so I can’t be selfish thinking about myself. But it’s a little frustrating right now for me, and I’m just trying to figure out ways I can be effective.”
As of right now, it makes sense for Brandon Ingram to stay with the bench unit, with players who are more willing to share the ball. He is poised to make a real impact on the team in his new role, and we’ll see what happens in the future.
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