Brandon Ingram deserves some love in early MVP conversations

Cleveland had no answer for Ingram, who was knocking down his patented mid-range shots, driving hard to the basket and draining three-pointers (5-of-11).

The 28-year-old is now averaging 21.6 PPG, 3.9 APG and 5.8 RPG while shooting an efficient 48.6 percent. While those numbers may not be staggering compared to what some of the league leaders put up, Ingram’s impact cannot be understated, and he has truly been the Raptors' MVP so far this season. 

Brandon Ingram’s MVP case

While everyone loves to get caught up in who’s racking up the best statistics, that doesn’t always contribute to winning, and that's something that should be taken into account when evaluating MVP candidacies. In Ingram’s case, everything has changed for the Raptors upon his arrival, emphasizing his importance to their success. 

The rebuild around Scottie Barnes just wasn’t working in Toronto, which went a combined 55-109 throughout 2023-24 and 2024-25, and it was hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

They weren’t good enough to even make the play-in game, yet they weren’t bad enough to truly bottom out and land a generational talent atop the draft. Knowing that, Bobby Webster and company acquired Ingram, the 2016 second-overall pick, via trade. 

Not much else changed in terms of the Raptors' roster aside from Ingram, and here they are, on pace to win 56 games, which would be their most successful regular season since the 2018-19 championship-winning team (58 wins).

It hasn’t just been Ingram’s scoring that’s helped turn things around. It’s the threat he presents when he’s on the court, which opens up opportunities for his teammates, and he’s shown a willingness to move the ball, contributing to winning basketball. 

What’s most impressive is that before the start of this season, Ingram hadn’t played an NBA game since December 7, 2024, which for most players would result in a slow ramp-up process and transition. Not for Ingram, who’s immediately delivered above and beyond what Toronto expected when it traded for him. It's fair to assume he’s going to get better as the chemistry and continuity build with his new squad, and that's a scary proposition for the rest of the NBA and one that should have Ingram on the MVP radar.