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The New Orleans Pelicans were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. They were defeated in Game 4 by a final score of 97-89. It was a difficult all-around series for New Orleans, as they were forced to play without Zion Williamson because of an injury.
The Pelicans were hopeful that stars such as CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram would be able to keep the team afloat in the postseason. Ingram struggled in the series, however, averaging just 14.3 points per game on 34.5 percent field goal and 25 percent three-point shooting.
Ingram feels that his struggles extended beyond the Thunder-Pelicans series, though.
“I’ll be honest,” Ingram said, via Christian Clark of nola.com. “This was, from (Team) USA up to this season, this was probably the worst I’ve been in a New Orleans Pelican uniform. I’m motivated by that. I can go back and blame coaches. I can blame everybody else but myself. But I have to go look myself in the mirror and tell myself what I really need to do. How can I help this team? How can I help the coaches?”
Ingram clearly is not pleased with his 2023-24 performance. He averaged 20.8 points per game on 49.2 percent field goal and 35.5 percent three-pint shooting. Ingram also recorded averages of 5.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists per outing.
It was not a bad season by any means, but Ingram believes he is capable of performing at a higher level. Perhaps his motivation will lead to a huge 2024-25 campaign.
Brandon Ingram, Pelicans fall short vs. Thunder
Defeating this Thunder team even with Zion Williamson would have been a challenge. Oklahoma City features a talented group of stars, including MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The primary question mark in reference to the Thunder is their inexperience. Oklahoma City features a young group of players and it will be interesting to see how they respond moving forward in the NBA playoffs.
It is safe to say that the lights have not proven to be too bright thus far.
The Pelicans also have a good team. Their roster is fairly deep, and New Orleans features enough star-power to make noise. There was obviously frustration after getting swept by the Thunder, but the future remains bright for the Pelicans.
In order to bounce back next year, the Pelicans will need to stay healthy. Additionally, Ingram will need to find more consistency in the postseason. He is one of the better players in the NBA but did not look like himself against the Thunder.
New Orleans will be an intriguing team to follow during the offseason. Will they attempt to keep the same roster, or will changes be made? The Pelicans currently feature a high-ceiling, but they still may end up making some notable changes nonetheless.
More must-reads:
- Celtics finally put away undermanned Cavaliers, advance to conference finals
- DeMar DeRozan confirms desire to return to Bulls
- The 'No. 1 overall NBA draft pick' quiz
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