Brandon Ingram gave Raptors everything they needed until it mattered most

"Ingram has been a resounding success for Toronto. He made his second career All-Star Game and led the fifth-seeded Raptors in scoring. Maybe his most impressive accomplishment was his durability. Ingram played, by far, the most minutes of his career in a single season and appeared in 77 games, his most since his rookie year."

"Unfortunately for Ingram and the Raptors, that durability did not extend to the postseason. He battled a heel injury throughout Toronto's first-round series against Cleveland and missed the final two games. With the unfortunate ending to Toronto's season, it raises a difficult question: how much can the Raptors trust Ingram to be healthy when it matters most?"

"I would never condemn a player for getting injured. It is not Ingram's fault that his heel was hurt late in the season and affected his play during the playoffs. That being said, it can be risky to build around players who consistently deal with injuries. Ingram falls into that category."

"The NBA recently implemented a 65-game cutoff for players to be eligible for end-of-season awards. The argument is that if a player misses more than 17 games, they have not played enough to reasonably qualify. In Ingram's 10 NBA seasons, he has met that 65-game threshold twice."

Brandon Ingram completed his first full season with the Raptors and largely delivered success. He earned a second career All-Star selection and led the fifth-seeded team in scoring. His most notable achievement was durability, as he played the most minutes of his career in a single season and appeared in 77 games. In the postseason, however, a heel injury limited him throughout the first-round series against Cleveland and he missed the final two games. The question becomes how reliably Toronto can count on him for playoff health. Ingram has an injury-prone reputation, with limited eligibility for end-of-season awards under a 65-game cutoff in most seasons. His injuries often involve sprains, strains, and soreness, which can still affect availability and performance.

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