Brandon Ingram’s return to Los Angeles is going to have to wait.
The former Duke standout will be sidelined at the start of the 2026-27 NBA season after news surfaced Monday that he is dealing with an injury. Reports say Ingram has a partially torn Achilles tendon and recently underwent heel surgery, a setback that comes just as the league’s new season is getting rolling with media day across 29 teams.
Ingram had been traded to the Los Angeles Clippers this offseason as part of the Kawhi Leonard deal that is now official. After spending time in Toronto, he was set up for a fresh start back in Los Angeles, where he previously played for the Lakers. Instead, his Clippers debut will be delayed.
It’s another frustrating turn for a player who has already carved out a long NBA career. Over 10 seasons, Ingram has averaged 19.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.6 blocks and 0.7 steals. He was the No. 2 overall pick.
Ingram is the latest former Duke player to run into injury trouble as the new season approaches. Over the weekend, Kon Knueppel was also ruled out for a stretch with a hamstring injury.
Knueppel, now entering his second season after one of the NBA’s top rookie campaigns last year, will miss the entire preseason and be re-evaluated before the regular season opener in a few weeks. He could also miss that game against Brooklyn.
The hope for Knueppel is simple: get back on the floor soon and keep building on what was already a big rookie year.
In Other News...
Former Duke Star Suddenly Faces Troubling Start To Year Two
Kon Knueppels second year with the Charlotte Hornets has gotten off to an unwelcome start, with the former Duke standout set to miss the teams preseason after suffering a hamstring injury. Charlotte is also without Grant Williams for the exhibition slate because of a separate hamstring issue, a reminder that even before the games count, the Hornets are already trying to manage their depth and keep key pieces on track.
Knueppel arrived in the league as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and followed that up with a strong rookie season, which is why this early setback draws attention beyond Charlotte. The bigger concern now is simply getting him back to full speed without any lingering issues, and the Hornets are planning a re-evaluation during the first week of the regular season as they wait for a clearer picture. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Fans Have Every Right To Question This Top 25 Snub
Duke has given voters plenty to consider lately, and not much of it should have led to being left out of the Top 25 entirely. The Blue Devils have won eight straight and backed that run by capturing the ACC championship, yet the rankings continue to treat them like a team on the outside looking in. For a program that has stacked wins and handled its business down the stretch, that omission is hard to ignore.
The frustration only grows when teams with shakier recent rsums keep finding a spot in the poll, which has only fueled the broader debate about how much conference reputation matters. Missouri is still sitting at No. 25 even after a loss to Mississippi State, and that kind of contrast is exactly why Duke supporters are wondering what more their team was supposed to do. Add in the roster turnover and transfer movement that have shaped how this season has been viewed, and the snub starts to look less like an oversight and more like a trend. [Read more 🡒]
Dukes Biggest Early Problem May Finally Be Improving
Dukes 62-7 romp over William & Mary did more than keep the Blue Devils unbeaten at 4-0 for the second time under Manny Diaz. It also offered a cleaner look at one of the earliest trouble spots of the season, with the team showing some real progress in an area that had been dragging down its first three weeks.
Diaz pointed to the improvement in his postgame press conference, even while making clear the issue is hardly solved. Penalties still loom as a concern once conference play arrives, and the costly ones in particular remain the kind of mistake that can change a game fast if Duke doesnt keep tightening things up. [Read more 🡒]