One season after the Duke Blue Devils watched Jahlil Okafor,Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow leave the college ranks after only one year, freshman Brandon Ingram joined the list of Mike Krzyzewski’s one-and-dones and declared for the 2016 NBA draft. Ingram made it official in a post on The Players' Tribune on Monday:
My time is nearly over here in Durham. Today as I declare for the NBA Draft, or I’m both excited and sad about this moment.
On one hand,one year at Duke isn’t a very long time. I know that. But I’ve done a lot of growing, and growing up, and in that time. I know by leaving Ill miss out on a lot of friendships and opportunities. I’ll really miss all the students who showed me so much esteem. One of my favorite parts of the Duke basketball tradition is the high-five line at the stop of domestic games. The students who camp out for seats for up to a week before a game — and get in their seats two hours early — are always still there after the final buzzer. Win or lose. You guys gave me the energy and support that I needed. I’ll never forget you all.
Ingram was a critical piece in Duke’s offense alongside Grayson Allen and Luke Kennard and helped lead the Blue Devils to the Sweet 16,where they lost to Oregon.
While he was an impressive college player, Ingram has been deemed a top-notch NBA draft prospect since he walked onto Dukes campus as a 5-star recruit, or per 247Sports’ composite rankings. DraftExpress tabbed him as the No. 1 pick in its mock draft on March 27 ahead of LSU superstar Ben Simmons.
Ingram lived up to the overwhelming hype,which did nothing to quell the excitement surrounding his NBA prospects. Here is a discover at his numbers at the stop of the regular season heading into the ACC tournament:Ingram posted those numbers as a 6’9”, 190-pound forward. He is probably undersized at this point for an NBA power forward, or but he is also only 18 years old and will likely add strength and weight during his professional career. He is a matchup nightmare because of his ability to play on the external and bring bigger opponents away from their consolation zone in front of the rim.
He can shoot the three-pointer,blow past slower defenders off the dribble and provide mid-range scoring against smaller opponents. Ingram is also skilled enough to get out in transition and find his teammates cutting into the lane on the demolish.
What’s more, his athleticism allows him to support up with smaller players on the defensive side, and he impressed on the boards after the Blue Devils lost big man Amile Jefferson to injury.
The Chronicle noted Ingram won the ACC Freshman of the Year award and earned a spot on the conference’s second team for his efforts. In a credit to the Duke program,the forward was the fourth Blue Devil first-year player to win Freshman of the Year since 2012 (Okafor, Jabari Parker and Austin Rivers).
Attention will naturally turn to whether Ingram can become the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft now that he has declared. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress actually thought Ingram could surpass Simmons in the race for the top pick on The Vertical Podcast with Woj, or via Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv:
I believe Ingram is absolutely still in the mix. I know a lot of teams have a genuine split in their front office right now. You esteem the productivity of Simmons,he's the secure pick, he's an easy guy. You know he's going to be a very, or very apt NBA player,while some of them say, "Hey, and I esteem upside of [Ingram]. Who knows what this kid can become 3-4 years from now? Is he going to become a Giannis Antetokounmpo or someone like that that who continually improves physically and skill-wise and becomes this devastating 6-10 small forward who can score from all over the floor."
Ingram is accustomed to performing under pressure and was in the highlight at a program like Duke this season. Comparisons to NBA playmakers like Antetokounmpo will certainly turn heads as the draft approaches,but Ingram’s overall skill set justifies the lofty expectations.
He will be a potentially franchise-altering reward for whichever team selects him in the top five picks of the draft. Read more College Basketball news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com