New Orleans Pelicans Give Update On Brandon Ingram's Injury Status
Not playing in a game since November 25, New Orleans Pelicans star wing Brandon Ingram remains a question mark this season.
Playing against the Memphis Grizzlies in that game, Ingram sustained a right toe contusion that has now forced him to miss the last eight weeks of action.
Earlier this month, head coach Willie Green addressed Ingram’s injury, simply stating that he has been working his way back onto the floor in practice, but the team still had no timetable for his potential return.
Now, the Pelicans gave a new update on Monday, stating that Ingram has returned to five-on-five basketball and that he practiced with the team on Monday.
The team is hopeful that Brandon Ingram will be able to return to the court over their next three home games on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday.
“If I feel up for it, that’s the plan,” Ingram told reporters in regards to possibly returning this week. “Try to get back at it and ramp up a little bit, integrated back with my teammates. It’s all about how I feel on a day-to-day basis.”
Playing through any kind of discomfort can be tough and toe injuries can especially be difficult to play through in the NBA, which is why Ingram’s injury has been a mystery to this point.
While he did cite that he is still “fighting through some things,” Ingram told reporters that he is continuing to make progress and is happy to be back out on the floor in practice with his teammates.
“He had a full five-on-five practice where he got some work in and we will continue to evaluate him after today and see where he is before giving you guys an update,” Willie Green told reporters on Monday. “What was holding him back was his pain. He was still feeling pain in his toe and as the pain began to go away, he was able to do more, so now he is starting to hit some of those benchmarks which allows him to get back out on the floor.
“He had a good day today and we will see how he bounces back.”
Since Nov. 25 without Ingram, the Pelicans have gone 15-13, maintaining their spot near the top of the Western Conference standings.
New Orleans is currently the 4-seed in the conference and now seven games out of first-place after losing four straight games and 9 of their last 12 games overall.
Brandon Ingram’s next chance to return will be on Tuesday night in New Orleans when the Pelicans host the Western Conference’s best team in the Denver Nuggets.
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