The Pelicans are about a month into their offseason and they'll be without star forward Brandon Ingram for up to the next two months after hand surgery.
The team announced Friday that the 24-year-old underwent successful surgery on his right pinky finger to address a flexion contracture. The surgery was done on June 7 by Dr. Steven Shin at the Kerlan-Jobe Surgery Center in Los Angeles.
The team didn't indicate when the injury developed, but it's the same finger that Ingram jammed late in a Game 5 loss to the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Ingram said after the game he didn't expect the injury to limit him, and he proved that in Game 6 with 21 points, 11 assists and 5 rebounds in a close loss to the Suns to end the series.
A flexion contracture is an injury that prevents a joint to be straightened from a bent position. It's an injury not dissimilar to the mallet finger injury Taysom Hill suffered late in the Saints' 2021 season.
The 8-week timeline would mean Ingram should be able to get back on the court by the beginning of August, well in advance of the 2022-'23 season. The Pelicans appear to be on a clear upward trajectory, coming off a playoff visit, owning the No. 8 overall pick in the upcoming draft and anticipating the return of both Zion Williamson and Kira Lewis Jr. after injuries that kept them out for all or most of the 2021-'22 season.
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