Brandon Ingram: I Agreed With Steve Kerr About Taking Bench Role at FIBA World Cup

Steve Kerr is not afraid to tinker with the U.S. lineup to find the best fit during the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and forward Brandon Ingram is on the same page.

Kerr moved Ingram to the second unit before Wednesday's game against Jordan, whom the U.S. defeated 110-62. This decision was based on strategy and not performance, as Kerr felt like Ingram would fit better alongside Tyrese Haliburton and Austin Reaves, as Jalen Brunson and Anthony Edwards are more ball-dominant.

Per Joe Vardon of The Athletic, Ingram said that he "agreed" with the move. He ultimately scored seven points in the victory, a number that matched his production to that point.

Kerr reflected on the move by stating that Ingram thrived in the lineup and that the change would benefit both him and the team.

"I really liked the lineup shift for BI," Kerr said, per Vardon. "The game was much smoother. He had five assists. There was more space, he had the ball more. I know he enjoyed it. …I can't speak highly enough of BI, just his character and the way he handled that because he's not used to coming off the bench and he was playing fine. It wasn't, you know, he wasn't really struggling. He just wasn't featured in that lineup."

Ingram had two points in the U.S.'s opening victory over New Zealand and five in its next win over Greece. His minutes did not dramatically change with the shift in role, as he played 15 minutes in the victory over Jordan, which was only 33 seconds less than the game against New Zealand.

The move will allow the U.S. to have more spread-out depth, and that is something that can really allow the team to stand out among its opponents. The United States' next two games come against Montenegro and Lithuania, with both countries possessing some strong talent and size.

The U.S. can take a massive step towards clinching a quarterfinal berth on Friday when they take on Montenegro at 4:40 A.M. ET.