BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Brandon Ingram became the 21st lottery pick in the history of the Duke men's basketball program on Thursday night when he was selected No. 2 overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center.
Duke's 21 lottery picks, all of which have come under the leadership of head coach Mike Krzyzewski, are NBA Draft records for both a school and a head coach. The Blue Devils have had at least one player selected in 29 of the 36 NBA Drafts during the Krzyzewski Era.
Ingram is the ninth Duke freshman selected in the NBA Draft, joining Corey Maggette (1999), Luol Deng (2004), Kyrie Irving (2011), Austin Rivers (2012), Jabari Parker (2014), Tyus Jones (2015), Jahlil Okafor (2015) and Justise Winslow (2015). Each of the nine has been a first-round selection, including eight lottery picks.
“The Los Angeles Lakers are getting both a great player and a great person in Brandon Ingram,” Krzyzewski said. “Brandon was a special player this year at Duke, and his best basketball is still ahead of him. I have absolutely loved coaching Brandon because he is a no-maintenance player who loves and respects the game. He is also a creative and thoughtful young man who comes from a beautiful family. I'm excited to watch his promising career with the Lakers get under way. Brandon will continue to get better and better. I'm proud that he'll always be a member of the Duke basketball family.”
In addition to earning honorable mention All-America accolades from the AP in 2016, Ingram was also named the third USBWA Freshman All-American in Duke history, alongside Parker (2014) and Okafor (2015).
A second-team All-ACC selection and the 2016 ACC Freshman of the Year, Ingram averaged 17.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 34.6 minutes per game in 2015-16. He shot 44.2 percent from the floor and 41.0 percent from three-point territory.
The Kinston, N.C., native was just the fourth freshman to average at least 15.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game under Krzyzewski, alongside Deng (2004), Okafor (2015) and Parker (2014).
His average of 17.3 points per game was the third-highest among major-conference freshmen in 2015-16. He led ACC freshmen in scoring (17.3), rebounds (6.8), three-point field goal percentage (.410) and double-doubles (8), while also ranking second among conference freshmen in blocks (1.4).
With 624 points, Ingram finished the 2015-16 season as the third-highest-scoring freshman in Duke history, while his scoring average of 17.3 per game also tied for third-best by a Duke freshman.
Ingram's eight double-doubles on the season were the fifth-most by a freshman in Duke history, and his 14 20-point games tied for the second-most ever by a Duke rookie. He had three 20/10 games on the season, and was the lone ACC freshman to record one.
One of the nation's most versatile players, Ingram was the first freshman and only the second player – along with Shane Battier – in Duke history to make at least 80 three-pointers (80) and block at least 40 shots (49) in the same season. His 80 three-pointers on the season were the second-most by a freshman in Duke history, while his 49 blocks ranked fifth on Duke's freshman chart.
Ingram's 1,246 minutes played in 2015-16 ranked third on Duke's freshman chart, while his average of 34.6 minutes per game ranked fourth and was the highest by a Duke freshman since Tommy Amaker in 1984 (36.3).
Ingram was named one of five finalists for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award. He was named to the USBWA All-District III and NABC All-District 2 teams, and was one of five finalists for the USBWA's Wayman Tisdale Award, given annually to the National Freshman of the Year.
In July, he will head to Las Vegas with USA Basketball as a member of the 2016 USA Men's Select Team, which will compete against the U.S. Olympic Team prior to its departure for Rio de Janeiro.
2016 NBA Draft Auction
Ending Friday, June 24
Brandon Ingram Photo - 4:15 PM
Brandon Ingram Photo #2 - 4:30 PM
Brandon Ingram Photo #3 - 4:45 PM
Brandon Ingram Basketball - 5:00 PM
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