Pelicans' Alvin Gentry Will Be 'Very Disappointed' If Brandon Ingram Isn't MIP

New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram is a top candidate for Most Improved Player of the Year, and his head coach, Alvin Gentry, backed the ex-Duke star in an interview with reporters on Saturday.

"I'll be very disappointed if he's not the Most Improved Player, because he took a tremendous jump this year, in making the All-Star team and just overall, being that guy we could count on at the end of the game," Gentry said, per Pelicans reporter Jim Eichenhofer.

Teammate JJ Redick also offered his take on Ingram as well as point guard Lonzo Ball.

"Both of those guys have taken steps forward," Redick said. "The scary thing is they probably haven't reached their ceiling yet. They are such young players and have such physical gifts that they are still learning how to use them."

Ingram, a first-time All-Star in 2020, joined the Pels last offseason amid a blockbuster deal that sent big man Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers. The 6'7" forward has averaged a team-leading 24.3 points on 46.6 percent shooting along with 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.

The Most Improved Player award field is stacked this year, but Ingram can hold his own against any of them.

The Ringer's Dan Devine placed Ingram tied for third on his list with the Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum. The Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic was first, and the Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo ranked second.

Doncic has become a superstar point guard after turning in an impressive rookie campaign last year, to the point where he's a triple-double threat every night. Adebayo has gone from reserve Heat center to All-Star in one year, and Tatum has developed from a second or third option on the 2018-19 Celtics into the team's unquestioned superstar, one who looks like he'll be making All-Star Games for the foreseeable future.

Ingram's form has improved tremendously year after year, though, and that's despite suffering from deep vein thrombosis, which ended his 2018-19 season in early March.

The trade to New Orleans happened a few months later, and in the preseason, rookie superstar Zion Williamson suffered a torn meniscus, forcing him off the floor for three months. Ingram stepped up as the Pelicans' go-to player and largely excelled in a brutally tough Western Conference.

The Pels may be under .500 with a 28-36 record, but they are only 3.5 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot. In other words, Ingram's efforts helped the Pels hold down the fort until Williamson came back, and now the team is in a spot to make a run at the playoffs.

There are many good choices, but Ingram's All-Star campaign following a serious health condition, a trade and a role change from secondary player to team star should garner him serious consideration.