Report: Brandon Ingram 'Frustrated' Pelicans Teammates by Unwilling to Play Injured

The New Orleans Pelicans failed to make the playoffs this year as injuries to star players Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram kept both off the court for extended periods of time.

Regarding Ingram, Christian Clark of NOLA.com reported the following on teammates' alleged frustrations about him being unwilling to play through minor ailments:

"Ingram has sometimes seemed unwilling to play through minor discomfort, to the point where some of his teammates have become frustrated with him over the past two years," Clark wrote.

Ingram has missed 62 of a possible 164 games over the past two seasons. He has averaged 23.6 points, 5.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds during that span.

Ingram played 45 games this past season. He missed four games from Oct. 25-Nov. 2 after suffering a concussion versus the Utah Jazz.

He then missed two months (29 games total) from late November to late January with an injury to his left big toe. Ingram told Will Guillory of The Athletic that the time frame was the "longest two months of my life."

"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."

Ingram missed a pair of second games on back-to-back sets soon after his return as he recovered from the injury. A right ankle sprain sidelined him twice more on March 11 and 12.

When healthy, Ingram is an All-Star-caliber player easily capable of pouring in 30 or more points on any given night. On paper, his partnership with superstar Zion Williamson should vault the Pels into perennial playoff contention at minimum.

Unfortunately, injuries have taken their toll on both players, with Williamson missing all of 2021-22 (fractured right foot) and 53 games in 2022-23 (right hamstring strain). Hopefully 2023-24 brings about much-improved health for both players as they look to lead the Pels back to the postseason.