NBA: Brandon Ingram Must Not Miscalculate Return To Active Duty

The New Orleans Pelicans could be the team where Brandon Ingram can finally shine but the second overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft needs to make sure he is 100-percent cleared by doctors. The 21-year-old was presented along with other New Pelicans on Tuesday at the Pelicans headquarters.

Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart are the newest members of the New Orleans Pelicans following that blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. The former Duke University standout saw his 2018-19 NBA season cut short after he was diagnosed with Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) in his arm, NBA.com reported.

During the presentation, Ingram said that he was pretty close to resuming normal workouts but did not get into specifics. He is still recovering from surgery and revealed he has not resumed shooting although he was working on his form, the Associated Press reported.

Before he was traded to the Pelicans, Ingram was seen by many as the heir apparent of Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo. That included LeBron James who singled out his length.

"You look at KD, Giannis, himself, those guys with those long arms (that) guard multiple positions. Handle the ball. Rebound, pass, shoot," said James via a report from Mike Trudell. At 21-years-old, there is no denying that Ingram still needs a lot of work. The recent injury he suffered may hamper his rise to greatness although he has the benefit of time.

His illness is far from the normal ones that any NBA player would suffer. A player that comes to mind is Chris Bosh who was forced to retire due to blood clot in his leg. Shams Charania of The Athletic explained on The Sedano Show how their cases are different and that Ingram would likely be ready by this NBA season. Regardless, it still depends on how well Ingram can recover from surgery and finally be given the green light to play NBA ball.

Though there was no timetable on his return, Ingram needs to proceed with extreme caution. He will be entering his fourth year in the NBA and has already shown potential. Like others before him (i.e., D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle), the change of scenery could be what the 6-foot-9 forward would need to finally break out and show his true potential. The same holds true for Ball and Hart, who both showed potential but failed to rise with the Los Angeles Lakers.