Ingram, Ball full participants in workouts

Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball appear well on their way to being ready for the start of the 2019-20 season.

According to Andrew Lopez of ESPN, the two pieces who came over as part of the trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers have been full participants in the Pelicans’ voluntary offseason workouts.

Injuries haven’t held back either one, which is notable because Ingram’s final game came on March 2 before he was shut down for deep vein thrombosis in his right arm. Ball’s final game last season came on Jan. 19 because of an ankle injury.

Durability has been an issue for both young playmakers in the early portion of their careers. Ball played 52 games as a rookie in 2017-18 and 47 games last season, while Ingram appeared in 59 games and 52 games in each of the last two seasons, respectively.

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Ingram had his best stretch of work that season after LeBron James came back from a hip injury, as Ingram averaged 23.0 points over the final 15 games he played, while shooting 56.5% from the field and 37.9% from deep.

Ingram had been shut down for the season since March 4, but he mentioned at his introductory news conference in New Orleans in July that he was “pretty close” to returning to basketball workouts.

The Western Conference is loaded with talented rosters, but it isn’t a stretch to suggest New Orleans can contend for a playoff spot if Ball and Ingram are both healthy and making strides.

The combination of Ball, Ingram, Zion Williamson and Josh Hart gives New Orleans a talented core to build around for years, and veteran pieces such as JJ Redick, Jrue Holiday and Derrick Favors can serve as mentors while helping keep the team competitive in 2019-20. New Orleans’ training camp begins on Oct. 1, and it opens the regular season with a showdown against the defending champion Toronto Raptors on Oct. 22.

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