Why is Simmons obviously better? Part of me wants to agree but part of me wonders how much of our opinion is based on him playing for the better team. Ingram has always been on awful teams. Star players on awful teams are usually underrated because some fans have the mentality of "if he was that good, the team would be better than 28-54." Sometimes, that actually is the case but I don't think it is with Ingram.Simmons is obviously a better player than Ingram. But Morey would never do better than an Ingram deal IMO.
As an aside, people need to stop referencing Simmons' "upside". Man hasn't developed one iota since entering the league. Maybe he magically learns how to shoot, but it seems unlikely at this point. And he hasn't developed anything else either.
Ingram is clearly the much better scorer/shooter. Simmons has an edge in rebounding and playmaking but rebounding is often a team thing. Ingram is also a pretty good playmaker himself, though not in the same company as Ben. D is obviously in Ben's favor but Ingram has all the tools to be an elite defender.
And if Ben Simmons has "upside" at 25 y 145 days.... Ingram does too at 24 y, 101 days. I think it's far more likely than Ingram taps into his upside as it mostly involves putting an effort on D. Put him next to Embiid and I think that happens. I'd make the argument than Ingram actually has more upside than Ben.
I also think people forget just how long Brandon Ingram is at 6'8. He has a 7'3 wingspan and 9'1 standing reach. He's closer to TL (7'6, 9'4) than Tatum (6'11, 8'10.5) or Brown (7'0, 8'9.5). He has all the tools to be a great defender.
I'm probably alone but I'd trade Jaylen Brown for him all day. I think Ingram is a better fit alongside Tatum and the 2 would feed off each other more. The 2 have a friendly rivalry with each other and have been friends for some time. Funny thing is, I could actually see Ingram demanding a trade in 2-3 years and I'm pretty sure the C's would be at the top of his list due to Tatum and Laker hate. I'd love to add Ingram to the Jays and TL. Talk about a long, long, team.
I also might be the biggest Ingram supporter on the board and have never understood the criticism he got his first 2-3 years in the league. I think Ben Simmons is better but I don't think its by much. I'd have them in the same tier. Simmons gets a lot of bonus points for "potential" but most players are what they are during their age 25 season. I guess we haven't seen any of Ben in his age 25 season though. It's possible he made some great strides this offseason but I very much doubt it.
edit: Ingram's 7'3 wingspan and 9'1 standing reach haven't really done him much good do date tough, with awful career steal % (1.0%) and block % (1.5%) rates. Not many players on terrible teams put the effort in on D though. It's also hard to parse out how bad they vs how bad the team is. I'm not willing to write him off because I see what Gary Trent is doing this year re: deflections vs the rest of his career. Sometimes, it really is just scheme, usage and teammates.
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