Brandon Ingram’s Understated Brilliance is Powering the Raptors’ Resurgence
Brandon Ingram’s role in Toronto this season hasn’t exactly come with flashing lights or highlight-reel fanfare-but don’t let that fool you. What Ingram has brought to the Raptors is the kind of substance that doesn’t always show up in the box score, but absolutely shows up in wins.
He’s not the guy getting the easy buckets in transition. He’s not camped out waiting for wide-open threes off ball movement.
Instead, he’s operating in the tightest corners of the offense, doing the gritty, nuanced work that holds the whole thing together.
And he’s doing it well.
Whether it’s crashing the glass for contested rebounds-where he ranks near the top of the team-or creating offense out of nothing in the mid-range, Ingram has become the Raptors’ glue guy in a way that also makes him their go-to guy. He’s the “hooper’s hooper,” as GM Bobby Webster put it.
A tough shot maker. An innings eater.
The kind of player who can help you win games without needing the spotlight to do it.
Take the recent matchup against the Clippers, for example. Early in the game, Toronto leaned on an Ingram-plus-bench lineup to buy some minutes for the starters.
They didn’t win those minutes outright, but they didn’t lose them by much either-and in a game of margins, that matters. It kept the Raptors in control, gave key players a breather, and allowed the team to keep its rhythm.
That’s the kind of stabilizing presence Ingram brings.
But he wasn’t just steady-he was impactful. The Clippers rolled out a massive frontcourt rotation with Ivica Zubac and Brook Lopez, and while rookie Collin Murray-Boyles has held his own against bigs this season, this was a different kind of challenge.
Ingram stepped in with timely help defense, jumping passing lanes, rotating to cut off rollers, and cleaning up the glass to finish possessions. He even got out on James Harden and blocked a three-yes, that James Harden.
“He’s a very genuine person. He cares about his teammates a lot.
He cares about winning a lot. He is a basketball junkie,” said head coach Darko Rajaković earlier this season.
“After every practice he’s asking for film so he can dissect it. He’s a guy that any team would be happy to have on the roster.”
That’s the kind of praise that tells you everything you need to know about Ingram’s value-not just as a scorer, but as a professional who’s all-in on the process.
When Ingram arrived in Toronto, he talked about getting back to the All-Star Game. The Raptors were on the same page.
They saw a chance to help each other get where they wanted to go. But those plans were put on ice when Ingram missed the back half of the 2024-25 season and the Raptors stumbled to a 30-52 finish.
His return this year has coincided with a clear shift in the team’s trajectory-and that’s not a coincidence.
Ingram’s presence has been a catalyst. He’s not just back on the court-he’s back in the driver’s seat of a Raptors team that’s winning again.
And let’s be real: the NBA is still an entertainment business. Ingram’s game?
It’s a smooth, mid-range symphony. He’s taken over 120 fadeaways and pull-ups from that area this season, dancing into space and creating shots against all kinds of coverage.
He’s not doing anything radically new or statistically groundbreaking-his overall efficiency and playmaking numbers are down compared to past seasons-but he’s doing what this team needs, when they need it.
That matters. A lot.
It’s also why he’s getting serious All-Star buzz. Coaches and voters alike are noticing that the Raptors’ turnaround has Ingram’s fingerprints all over it.
He’s leading the team in scoring. He’s been consistently healthy in a season where that’s not a given.
And even if the numbers don’t scream “career year,” the impact is undeniable.
RJ Barrett put it plainly: “This is work ethic. He comes in every day.
He comes in early. He works on his stuff.
He’s a true professional.”
Now, if you’re wondering why the numbers are down, look no further than the Raptors’ offensive system. This isn’t a team built around one high-usage star.
Toronto spreads the ball around-seven players hit double figures in this game alone. Gradey Dick continued his hot streak, Jamal Shead played a big role as the lead guard, and Ochai Agbaji chipped in with his best scoring night of the season.
Ingram, for his part, quietly dropped 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Efficient, effective, and exactly what the team needed.
But when the game tightens up, egalitarianism goes out the window. That’s when Ingram’s role becomes crystal clear.
He’s the guy. The Raptors trust him to close, to create, to carry.
And while that trust is warranted, it hasn’t always paid off in crunch time.
James Harden reminded everyone of that in overtime. The Clippers went right at Ingram on the first two possessions, isolating him in two-man actions.
The result? Buckets.
And on the other end, Ingram struggled to answer. Despite his game-winner against the Pacers earlier this season, clutch-time execution hasn’t been his strong suit.
Heading into this game, the Raptors were 15-6 in clutch situations-but Ingram was shooting just 34% in those moments, with nearly as many turnovers as assists.
That’s the tough part of the story. Ingram is doing a lot of things right, but the late-game struggles are real.
Four straight missed shots and a couple of turnovers in overtime made for a tough ending. It doesn’t erase what he’s done this season, but it does highlight what still needs to be unlocked.
He shouted “That’s why they brought me here!” after that Pacers game-winner.
And he’s right, to a degree. He’s been a major reason why the Raptors are winning again.
But there’s more on the table. More polish to add.
More clutch moments to seize.
All-Star or not, the Raptors need to keep building around the version of Ingram that’s already here-while pushing to unlock the one that still might be.