Pelicans' Brandon Ingram on Toe Injury Recovery: 'Longest 2 Months of My Life'

New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram says he had a difficult time mentally after a toe injury in November caused him to miss extended time.

"That was like the longest two months of my life," Ingram told William Guillory of The Athletic.

The injury happened Nov. 25, and he didn't return until Jan. 25 after missing 29 games, marking the longest in-season absence of his career.

While Ingram was working his way back to the court, the missed time took a mental toll:

"It was hard. There were certain days when it felt like I had to fight just to be there mentally for my teammates and for myself. I had to fight just to keep a smile on my face so they wouldn't see me down. I'm a person that believes everything happens for a reason. So, I just tried to dig deep, real deep down and get myself out of that dark place. I learned a lot about myself during that time."

The Pelicans were up and down without the 25-year-old and have spent much of the year battling for a spot in the play-in tournament. His return came during a 10-game losing streak, although the squad entered Friday tied for ninth in the Western Conference with a 31-32 record.

After scoring 40 points in a win Wednesday, Ingram is seemingly back to full strength physically as he looks to carry the team to the postseason.