Expert Thinks Former Lakers Forward Could Have 'Carmelo Anthony-Like' Impact on Team USA
Just next month, there will be basketball played that counts.
No, it's not another idea from NBA commissioner Adam Silver to make a well-intentioned, but ultimately random, tournament out of think air.
On the contrary, some NBA players will be taking the court, not for their professional teams, but they'll instead be donning their country's colors in the 2023 edition of the FIBA World Cup.
Team USA boasts an impressive roster including Minnesota Timberwolves burgeoning star Anthony Edwards and Los Angeles Laker Austin Reaves, but the biggest name in the group is probably former Laker and current New Orleans Pelicans wing Brandon Ingram.
Ingram first established himself in the professional ranks as a member of the Lakers' "young core" along with Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart.
He was a quality shooter and good defender in LA, but he turned himself into a star after being traded to the Pelicans in 2019 as part of the Anthony Davis trade. He quickly became the No. 1 scoring option in New Orleans, and an All-Star selection later, he's one of the more feared shooters in the Eastern Conference.
Ingram will likely have a big impact when he puts on the USA jersey in the World Cup, but The Athletic's Joe Vardon has quite the comparison for him ahead of the international competition.
"To me, he is one of two locks to start for Kerr, and has a chance to be a force as a scorer the way Carmelo Anthony was in all his tours with Team USA (the program’s all-time leading scorer). At 6-foot-8, Ingram can score from anywhere on the floor. He can get to the rim, is excellent in the mid-range and at the end of a close game is a candidate to take the last shot."
Yes, he invoked Melo, the legend of all legends when it comes to Team USA. Anthony would always turn into the best player on US rosters that boasted Hall of Famers throughout whenever he put on that jersey, and Vardon believes that Ingram can have that type of impact.
When it comes to this singular tournament, I don't see that being a stretch.
He's already one of the better shooters in the league, and one that can attack at all three levels similar to Anthony, and given that he'll likely be Team USA's top scoring option, I could definitely see him having an MVP-level showing in the World Cup.
It'll definitely be intriguing to see how Ingram and the rest of the group performs this summer, and you can see the US's first game on August 26 against New Zealand.
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