Brandon Ingram likely to return vs. Warriors

The Golden State Warriors will try and end a disappointing road trip on a high note on Friday night, when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans. And good news for NBA fans means bad news for the Dubs: Brandon Ingram is likely back.

Ingram, a 2019-20 All-Star and one of the smoothest scorers in the league, has only played in three games this year, as a concussion kept him out of New Orleans’ last four contests. Concussions are obviously very serious matters, so it’s wonderful to see that Ingram is trending towards playing on Friday night.

After losing superstar Zion Williamson for all of the 2021-22 season, and acquiring high-octane guard CJ McCollum at the trade deadline, the Pelicans are hoping for a healthy season with all their stars. So far that’s eluded them, with Ingram missing four of the team’s seven games, and Williamson missing two.

When healthy, though, the Pelicans, who are 4-3, have been nothing short of elite. Their starting unit — Ingram, Williamson, McCollum, Herbert Jones, and Jonas Valančiūnas — has been the best starting five in the NBA, outscoring teams by 49 points per 100 possessions, albeit in a sample size of just 30 minutes. The Warriors starting five, by contrast, has a net rating of +27.5, though in a much more meaningful sample of 93 minutes.

In other words, it should be one heck of a showdown if Ingram is healthy, and it’s good to see that his head injury was not more significant. In his three games, Ingram is averaging 22.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game, while shooting 57.9% from the field and 57.1% from three-point range.