Raptors' Brandon Ingram Has to Shed 'Overrated' Label

The Toronto Raptors are officially back in the postseason conversation, sitting in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 45-35 record.

A big reason behind the team's return to the postseason picture is Brandon Ingram, who averaged 21.5 points per game and was an All-Star this season.

However, Bleacher Report writer Andy Bailey believes Ingram has been the most overrated player in the league this season, believing he did not deserve to be an All-Star.

"This is a dubious honor that Brandon Ingram is under no obligation to worry about, but his All-Star nod and the general perception of 20-point-per-game scorers contributed to him being this season's most overrated player," Bailey wrote.

By The Numbers

Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram hugs a teammate during player introductions. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

It's a bold claim by Bailey that Ingram is the most overrated player in the league this season, but there are some numbers that back it up. Ingram has an effective field goal percentage of 52.7.

Effective field goal percentage has a higher weight for 3-point shots compared to 2-point shots. Ingram ranks 99th in the NBA this season in this metric. His status as an All-Star in this metric doesn't fit because only about a quarter of the players in the top 100 can make it to the All-Star Game.

On top of that, Ingram has a true shooting percentage at 57.1 per cent. True shooting takes free throws and 3-pointers into effect, and Ingram is outside of the top 200 players in the league in this statistic.

Defensively, Ingram is also not as strong compared to the analytics. According to CraftedNBA, Ingram’s Defensive Plus-Minus (DPM) is a -0.4, ranking him behind all of his Raptors teammates except for Gradey Dick, Jamison Battle and RJ Barrett.

Is Ingram Contributing to Winning?

Ingram is a key part to the Raptors' growth, but he might not be the main factor behind it all. In terms of Wins Above Replacement Players, Ingram ranks fourth on the team.

Player	Points Per Game (PPG)	Wins Above Replacement Players (WARP)
Scottie Barnes	18.2	6.7
Immanuel Quickley	16.7	4.9
Sandro Mamukelashvili	11.2	3.3
Brandon Ingram	21.3	3.0

Ingram leads the team in scoring, and that should not be overstated. With this particular metric, Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley are the ones contributing the most to winning, along with Sandro Mamukelashvili.

His 3.0 WARP is impressive, but considering the fact he is making $40 million per year compared to Mamukelashvili, who is making $2.6 million this season, it might not have been the wisest investment for the Raptors.

Reputation vs. Reality

Ingram was a prime trade target for the Raptors last season. His ability to come onto the scene and become the leading scorer for the team that is moving from the lottery to the postseason proves that the Raptors did something right here. Without him, the Raptors would not be in the position they find themselves in.

He was the No. 2 overall pick a decade ago and he has come into his own during his 10 years in the league. That reputation has carried him up to this point.

Now that he is embarking on a playoff run with the Raptors, Ingram will have to up his efficiency if he wants his value to match his hefty contract.

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