Pelicans' Brandon Ingram Out with Knee Injury vs. Clippers in Paul George Debut
The New Orleans Pelicans announced forward Brandon Ingram will not play Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers because of right knee soreness.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports noted Paul George is expected to make his season debut in the contest, meaning the Pelicans have one less option to defend him.
Ingram has been limited by knee soreness as well as a head injury that kept him out of some action, but he has been a star when on the court. The fourth-year forward has averaged 25.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game this year while knocking down 46.9 percent of shots from three-point range.
The No. 2 overall draft pick in 2016 showed plenty of potential during his first three seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 18.3 points per game last season while becoming more of a go-to option. However, he was still shipped to New Orleans this offseason in the deal that sent Anthony Davis to the Lakers.
Ingram has taken his game to another level since then, although injuries remain a concern.
In addition to his minor issues this season, the Duke product has dealt with a variety of major problems that have kept him off the court. Last season's campaign ended in March due to deep vein thrombosis in his arm, while he was also sidelined by ankle, hip and groin injuries.
The result was two straight years without reaching 60 games in a season.
Ingram and the 2-8 Pelicans will hope the latest problem doesn't cause him to miss too much more time, but Josh Hart and Kenrich Williams could see more action while the starter is unavailable.
