Raptors Reveal Plan for Getting Brandon Ingram Back on the Court

The Toronto Raptors plan to take it slow with Brandon Ingram as he continues to work his way back from a severe ankle injury

Feb 5, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) celebrates a three point basket against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors are in no rush to bring Brandon Ingram back.

Given their place in the standings and their focus on securing a top pick in this year’s draft, there’s no need to accelerate Ingram’s return. It’s been two months since the 27-year-old suffered a severe ankle injury, and Toronto wants to ensure he’s fully healthy before he steps back on the court.

“We are going to take [an] approach of two weeks and re-assess after two weeks to find out how he is progressing and what is the next stage for him,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said Wednesday.

Ingram is aligned with the plan. He’s been ramping up with pre-game workouts, but given his extended absence, there’s still a long way to go.

“Since I've been here, we’ve been really pushing it hard, trying to get back on the floor,” he said in his first media availability since signing a three-year, $120 million deal with the Raptors. “It's going to take a little bit to get my conditioning together, but hopefully soon.”

The Raptors will need to be strategic about Ingram’s return and how he integrates with the team. The next three weeks feature matchups against some of the league’s best teams, but by early March, the schedule softens significantly. Of Toronto’s final 20 games, 15 are against teams currently in the bottom third of the standings. It’s a pivotal stretch of games for the organization given how intent the Raptors are at selecting near the top of this year’s draft lottery.

“We want him healthy, we want him to be in the best shape,” Rajaković said. “I’m not even sure if he’s going to be able to finish this season, play some games or not but we want to do right away is get him in the best possible position to be successful going into the summer and next season.”

Poeltl’s Timeline

As for Jakob Poeltl, the Austrian big man is expected to miss more time as he continues to recover from a lingering hip injury.

“I think he’s gonna be back some point after the all-star break but I cannot guarantee if it’s gonna be the first, second or the third game,” Rajaković said. “We need to see how he’s gonna come through from all-star break and take it from there.”