Brandon Ingram is Finally Playing 5-on-5, and the Clippers Are About to Find Out What They Bought
He expects to be back 'soon.'
Brandon Ingram is finally playing full-contact basketball again, which means the Los Angeles Clippers are dangerously close to finding out what their actual roster looks like.
According to Underdog NBA, Ingram’s surgically repaired heel has progressed to 5-on-5 scrimmages, and the veteran forward expects to be back on the floor "soon." For anyone holding Clippers futures tickets, that four-letter word is doing a lot of heavy lifting, but it is still the most optimistic update this franchise has had in months.
To fully appreciate the timeline here, you have to rewind the tape to last spring. Ingram originally wrecked the heel back in March while trying to drag the through the Eastern Conference playoff race. He tried to play through the pain, looked completely compromised while shooting 26 percent in a crucial Game 4 against the , and eventually had to shut it down before undergoing surgery in early May.
Then came the September blockbuster that shipped him to Los Angeles. The Clippers traded for him fully aware that he was a massive rehab project. They essentially bought a luxury sports car that was currently sitting on cinder blocks in the driveway, hoping it would be ready to drive by the winter.
Now, the tires are finally back on. Getting a healthy Ingram back changes the entire geometry of the Clippers' offense. When he is right, he is a walking mismatch who can get you an effortless 20 points on any given night. When he is recovering from a lingering lower-body injury, he is a guy who makes the entire arena hold its breath every time he lands in traffic.
The next step is seeing how the heel responds to actual game speed instead of controlled practice runs. If he clears that final hurdle and returns to the rotation in the coming weeks, the Clippers might finally have the firepower they paid for. If not, we are right back to refreshing injury reports and wondering what could have been.