The Toronto Raptors acquired the services of Brandon Ingram. The small forward is undoubtedly talented. He'll look to add value to his new team. However, the former Duke player has dealt with a significant ankle injury, causing him to miss 25+ games this season. But this latest setback of his has not been considered enough to warrant concern by the organization.
Instead, ESPN's Shams Charania announced on X that Ingram signed a three-year, $120 million extension. The contract indicates his position with his new home team. They only see the upside and firmly believe that he can be a cornerstone moving forward.
The Toronto Raptors are six years removed from their championship. That ring came with Kawhi Leonard leading the charge. Brandon Ingram is good, but he's not at the level of 'The Klaw' back then. Consequently, the front office would need to bulk up the roster in other areas.
But a lot can happen in any given year. With the correct supplemental moves and luck falling their way in any given year, they could legitimately be dangerous.
For now, the team is trusting BI to develop and keep Toronto relevant. They know that there is a significant gap between them and the top contenders in the East. But they have now solidified a key component for their next potential push.
Great wing players are needed to truly compete at a high level in the NBA. Having good guard plays helps, and a dominating center is awesome, but if a franchise had to pick, going with an All-Star level player at the three or four positions is highly preferred.
As Brandon Ingram continues to work on his game, his competitiveness is unquestioned. The current Raptor is excellent at exploiting matchups. Furthermore, he puts in the necessary work to make up for his smaller frame in certain matchups.
Supporting Brandon Ingram
It's doubtful that he can be the lone best player on a championship-winning side. However, he is good enough that if paired with another star, he could be a 1a or 1b on a roster that goes deep into the postseason.
This wouldn't be a direct one-for-one comparison. But the Raptors could look to the Boston Celtics as a reference. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown make a great duo, and the collective team makeup allowed them to win it all.
The only aspect to discuss would be who Toronto could pair up with their last signing. Also, as talented as Brandon Ingram is, the team would have to figure out if he'd be the Tatum or more of the Brown in that hypothetical situation.
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