The San Antonio Spurs got here into the 2024 NBA Draft with some clear wants. They wanted to assemble extra expertise to fill out their roster, assist on the guard place and on the wings. You may argue that their first spherical choice, Stephon Fortress, checked all three of these bins. Within the second spherical, they added one other versatile wing, choosing Harrison Ingram with the forty eighth decide.
Draft Grade: B
Harrison Ingram, 6-foot-6 wing, North Carolina
2023-2024 stats: 12.2 factors, 2.2 assists, 8.8 rebounds, 43% FG, 38.5% 3PT, 61.2%
Ingram is an intriguing do-it-all wing from UNC. In his junior season with the Tar Heels he made an All-ACC crew, and helped the crew earn a primary seed within the NCAA Event. Ingram is an enormous, robust wing at 6-foot-6, 233 kilos. He has a 7-foot wingspan which inserts with the a Spurs crew that’s shifting towards size and flexibility.
Harrison Ingram’s mix of dimension, connective passing, rebounding, improved taking pictures, and general two-way versatility might present worth on the margins for a competing crew. The 21-year-old displayed spectacular adaptability this previous season for North Carolina. pic.twitter.com/Np3q3wHbTy
— League Him (@League_Him) June 23, 2024
Ingram is a bodily participant who can use his dimension to create angles for himself on the boards. He’s an aggressive participant with strong athleticism. He confirmed the potential to modify onto quicker guards and guard larger gamers on the collegiate degree. He’s a wise off-ball defender who was continuously rotating to dam pictures or take costs. Previous to his time at UNC, he was used as a ball-handler within the pick-and-roll at Stanford. Ingram averaged 5.3 assists as a Sophomore, displaying that he might have some upside as a secondary playmaker.
The largest leap Ingram took at UNC got here from deep. He shot under 32% in his first two faculty seasons, however hit 38.5% of his threes as a Junior. He nonetheless solely made 61.2% of his free throws, displaying that final yr might have been an anomaly. His taking pictures shall be one thing to look at throughout summer time league. If he can house the ground along with his taking pictures whereas taking part in on the inside, the Spurs could have themselves a pleasant function participant. Ingram has a capped ceiling attributable to his incapacity to create house off the dribble. At the moment he profiles as a three-and-D wing who can do a little bit of playmaking.
San Antonio can use the entire wing depth they’ll get their palms on. Ingram provides them one other switchable participant who has proven some capacity to hit pictures from deep. He additionally provides them a tricky inside participant who can do some soiled work and rebound subsequent to Victor Wembanyama. Ingram will discover himself in competitors with Sidy Cissoko, Julian Champagnie, Malaki Branham and doubtlessly one other veteran participant for wing minutes subsequent season.
On condition that competitors and the Spurs eagerness to stay cap flexibility, Ingram could possibly be coming to San Antonio on a two-way contract. They may deal with him equally to Cissoko final yr by letting him spend a season in Austin getting extra on-ball reps to develop as a passer and scorer. Regardless of how they determine to make the most of him subsequent season, Ingram is a strong addition so late within the draft.
