Brandon Ingram, who averaged 22.7 points a game last season for the Pelicans and was a critical part of their late-season surge, will miss a couple of months of offseason work.
Ingram had offseason finger surgery and will be sidelined for 6-8 weeks, the team announced Friday.
Brandon Ingram Update:
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) June 10, 2022
Ingram recently underwent successful surgery on his right fifth finger to address a flexion contracture. The surgery was performed on June 7, by Dr. Steven Shin at the Kerlan-Jobe Surgery Center in Los Angeles. Recovery timetable is approximately 6-8 weeks pic.twitter.com/sHoy4rJTNV
What is a flexion contracture? You might have heard of it called mallet finger, according to In Street Clothes’ Jeff Stotts.
A flexion contracture means the finger was bent and couldn’t be straightened. It can be the result of a ligament, muscle or tendon injury. Players like David Lee, George Hill, and Mike Bibby have all suffered a type of flexion contracture known as mallet finger. https://t.co/MqCJY6IvjZ
— Jeff Stotts (@InStreetClothes) June 10, 2022
The 6-8 week timeline has Ingram and his finger healthy and back in plenty of time for training camp.
The Pelicans went 21-11 to close the season, climbing up into the play-in games, a surge that started when they traded for CJ McCollum. Not only did he provide a needed second shot creator next to Ingram, but McCollum was also the kind of locker room leader New Orleans desperately needed to work with new coach Willie Green. Ingram playing at an All-Star level was part of that late-season surge.
Zion Williamson has been fully cleared and is working out at the team’s facilities. Combine the elite interior scoring and force that Zion plays with to Ingram and McCollum, and suddenly this is an improved and interesting team out West.
