Duke basketball program once again beats the Kentucky Wildcats
The Duke basketball program proved once again to be better than the Kentucky Wildcats.
Duke vs. Kentucky is always one of the best debates in college basketball, especially when it comes to putting players in the NBA and those players’ successes at the next level.
However, a Blue Devil and Wildcat were pinned against each other in the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award in Brandon Ingram and Bam Adebayo, respectively.
Much to the thrill of Duke fans all around the world, Ingram was named as the league’s Most Improved Player on Monday evening over Adebayo and rising superstar Luka Doncic.
While Ingram was named the winner of the award, many expected the honor to go to Doncic, although it was a surprise that he was nominated considering he was the Rookie of the Year in 2018-19.
ALSO READ: Brandon Ingram nominated for Most Improved Player
Ingram was presented with the award on TNT’s Inside the NBA as his parents and New Orleans Pelicans teammate Lonzo Ball were there to congratulate him.
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Ball and Ingram were the centerpieces of the trade that sent Anthony Davis from the Pelicans to the Los Angles Lakers last summer.
Brandon Ingram received 42 first-place votes for the award, 326 total, while Adebayo had 38 first-place votes, 295 total, and Doncic only earned 12 first-place votes, 101 total.
While the former Duke star is taking home the MIP Award, former Blue Devil standout Jayson Tatum was not a Top-3 finalist, but Tatum came in fourth in the voting with three first-place votes and 57 votes in total.
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In his final season with the Lakers in 2018-19, Brandon Ingram averaged 18.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 0.5 steals per game, and that was boosted to 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.0 steals per game in his first season with the Pelicans.
ALSO READ: Duke product exits NBA bubble with record intact
A free agency decision is looming for Brandon Ingram, but in recent weeks both he and the Pelicans expressed mutual interest in eventually working out a longterm deal to be one of the Bayou Blue Devils in the Big Easy.