NBA Notes: Raptors, Brandon Ingram, Nets, Pelicans, Zion Williamson

Ingram was acquired in a February trade with the Pelicans, but an ankle injury kept him from suiting up for Toronto.

But before any of that, it’s next month’s draft. The Raptors hold the No. 9 overall selection (as well as No. 39). After that, it will be focusing on getting the team in tip-top shape entering camp in late September.

“There are positives to the roster even without Ingram on the court,” wrote ESPN’s Bobby Marks. “The Raptors went 22-21 after Jan. 13. That improvement over the start of the season (when they went 8-31) is a result of a defense that ranked second in efficiency and first in opponent effective field percentage since that date.

“And then there is the question of roster durability. Out of the five key players on the roster — Immanuel Quickley, Scottie Barnes, Ingram, RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl — only Quickley has played more than 64 games in a season since 2022-23.”

With Ingram in the fold, Toronto just might riser quicker than some outside the organization expect.

Nets

The Nets will have some big decisions to make this offseason, and for the most part, everything is up in the air.

“Brooklyn has three priorities: the draft, cap space and its own free agents,” Marks wrote. “The Nets have the open roster spots to keep all five draft picks, but is that the smart play? The Nets could take a quality-over-quantity approach with the three firsts that aren’t their own. For example, they could package two picks in the 20s (Houston and New York) to move up in the draft. There is also the option of moving out of the later part of the draft to acquire future firsts.”

Restricted free agents Jonathan Kuminga (Warriors) and Quentin Grimes (76ers) could be among Brooklyn’s targets this summer, Marks added.

Pelicans 

With a change in the front office, and Joe Dumars now head of basketball operations, the offseason will be much the same for the Pelicans. In other words, it all begins and ends with Zion Williamson.

“The priority continues to be on Williamson and whether there is trust from the Pelicans’ new front office to continue building the roster around him,” Marks wrote. “Williamson has played in just 46% of regular-season games since being drafted No. 1 in 2019 and has never appeared in the playoffs.

“If New Orleans stays the course, will the 30 games Williamson did play this season serve as a blueprint for how to build the roster?”

Coach Willie Green, for one, indicated he still believes in big things from Williamson.

“When he’s in high-level conditioning like he is, he’s really tough to guard and he’s doing it all,” Green said in February, via Marks. “He’s rebounding. He’s defending.” 

Of course, Williamson wasn’t the only New Orleans starter to miss time last season. The Pelicans could barely field a team some nights in a season of pain and hard luck.

“Besides health, New Orleans needs an identity on defense,” Marks wrote. “The Pelicans had the lowest defensive rebounding percentage this season and gave up the second-most points in the paint. The Pelicans also rank last in defensive efficiency, last in transition defense and 29th in rim protection this season.”