The moment didn’t call for Brandon Ingram to give a dramatic speech to his teammates. Following the Toronto Raptors’ 110-93 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Ingram found it more productive instead to complete a workout and rest his feet in a bucket of ice. That way, Ingram can maximize both his durability and suit up when the Raptors (25-19) play on Tuesday against the Golden State Warriors (24-19). That way, Ingram can show his teammates how disciplined he stays with his routine.

Throughout his 10-year NBA career, Ingram has appeared more comfortable with earning respect for what he does instead of what he says. But shortly after the Raptors acquired him last season in a mid-season trade from the New Orleans Pelicans, the organization became impressed that Ingram looked comfortable with being more vocal than his stoic reputation suggests.

“He was very involved with our group of guys,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said of Ingram. “He has a great heart. He cares about his teammates a ton. And his teammates are responding in a great way to that.”

Part of that traces to Ingram’s actions. Although he didn’t play following the trade amid a lingering left ankle injury that limited him to 18 games, Ingram remained committed to his rehab both for the rest of the season and during the offseason. Some of it also traces to Ingram’s increased comfort with exerting himself in an empowering way.

“It’s that care that he has for other people and how he treats people around himself and how much his goal is to be there and be there for younger guys to give him advice to help in any possible way,” Rajaković said. “From day one, he’s been a great fit for our group. It’s great to see his influence on our team and how the rest of the group accepted him as well.”

No wonder the Raptors signed Ingram to a three-year, $120 million extension shortly after acquiring him despite his recent injuries. Amid stints with the Los Angeles Lakers (2016-19) and Pelicans (2019-25), Ingram has earned enough capital for his fundamentally strong game, his work ethic and his receptiveness to feedback. That explains why Ingram made an NBA All-Star appearance and won the league’s Most Improved Player award during his first season in New Orleans (2019-20). If not for injuries both to himself and his teammates, Ingram arguably would have earned more individual and team accolades with the Pelicans, partly because of his devotion to his craft.

“I always appreciated Brandon’s love for playing basketball,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick, who played with Ingram during his first season in New Orleans (2019-20). “This may sound like a surprise. But some of you may see this as well. But not everybody in this sport loves playing. Not everybody in this sport loves going to the gym or loves watching film or loves competing. I just saw that right away with him. He’s such a gifted player.”

Ingram spoke to EssentiallySports on his love for the game, the latest on his health and his strong fit in Toronto. Ingram also shared his outlook on whether both he and teammate Scottie Barnes will appear in this year’s NBA All-Star game, Collin Murray-Boyles’ growth as a rookie, thriving against the Lakers throughout his career and the Raptors’ extension.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.

You’ve put together a resume for a while now. But what has been key to fitting right in with both your play and availability?

Ingram: “I’m just trying to be adaptable and being coachable. I’m communicating with the head coach and assistant coaches. I’m communicating with my teammates about what I need. It’s an ongoing process. But they’ve been receptive. We’re listeners. So I’m able to listen to them, too.”

What’s the feedback with what you’ve given them and what they have given you?

Ingram: “From game-to-game, just different stuff that I see and different coverages that I see. There’s stuff to make things easier for me or my teammates. It’s just dialogue about different films with the coaches.”

Darko said before the game that he’s really impressed with your leadership, not just with your play, but with how you make guys comfortable and how you use your voice. In what ways do you think you’ve grown as a leader? 

Ingram: “I still think I have some growing to do in using my voice. But I try to pick and choose. I don’t want to sound ‘rah rah’ or sound like a broken record. Because sometimes when guys talk all the time, they get tired of it. So I try to say the right things at the right time. But I try to lead by example, though. Just with the way with coming in and being on time, making sure that I’m looking the guy in the eye that is talking to me and working as hard as possible on the basketball court. And then just showing that I’m still trying to evolve. My game hasn’t already arrived. I’m still trying new things. I’m still trying to be better in a lot of different aspects of the game. So I just try to lead by example.”

What are you trying to evolve with your game?

Ingram: “I’m trying to definitely shoot more 3s, get comfortable shooting more 3s and staying confident with shooting more 3s, whether it’s miss or makes. I haven’t had a chance to display my passing this year. Because of my role, I’m being more as a scorer. On the defensive side of the basketball, just being a good help defender, blocking shots, stealing the basketball and being in the right positions. Just every facet of the game that can make me effective and be effective for my team.”

Dating back to when you were traded, what was the process of getting healthy and also staying on the court? You’ve only missed two games so far [with a sprained right thumb]. 

Ingram: “Well, the process with getting back was a lot of rehab days. It was a lot of long rehab days. I really had to bring everything that I have from mind, body, everything, because those were some long days. There were some days where I was in before everybody for practice. And there were some days where I was in before everybody and then I left one or two hours after everybody. So it was definitely long days. I wasn’t sure if I was able to come back in season because that was probably the worst ankle injury that I’ve ever had. It blew up like a baseball. It was long. But we did the rehab process from the time that I got there in February all the way up to July.

I was healthy by July. But I was still missing some of my pop. I was still missing rhythm. It took me a while to get comfortable again. I’m still not as comfortable right now as I want to be in this moment. But I’m learning every single game. In September, I started feeling really good. In October, I started feeling really good. I’m still just communicating with the training staff. They’re always in my ear about how I feel on a day-to-day basis. They play a big part in why I’m healthy.”

They have a reputation for that. What makes this training staff unique with what they do?

Ingram: “Communication and adjusting. If I don’t feel good, then they adjust to it. If I feel good, they push more. It’s the communication and ability to adjust and apply on a day-to-day basis.”

With the All-Star game, what’s your outlook on making it?

Ingram: “Hopefully, I make it. You know my standard. I haven’t played to my standard yet. But I got a lot of buzz around my name. I would love to play in the All-Star game, and we’re winning. We’ve been winning. The Toronto Raptors made a jump from last year to this year. We’ve been in the top 4 for a very long time. So, usually winning gets rewarded. So hopefully that happens. But if it doesn’t happen, it’s another motivation year. Glory to God for keeping me healthy this year. So I’ll be able to keep learning, keep applying and keep showing.”

You said you haven’t played yet to your standard. But what would be your pitch to the coaches on why your body of work still warrants an All-Star nod?

Ingram:  “We’re winning. That would be my pitch. We’re winning right now. We haven’t touched our peak. We’re not close to our peak. We can get better. I can get better. But we’re in a good position. I would tell them to reward winning.”

What about Scottie? You mentioned the team winning, but what about his game merits an All-Star nod?

Ingram: “He’s playing well on both sides of the floor. Defensively, he’s a monster with blocking shots, rebounding the basketball and on-ball defense. Offensively, he’s able to get everybody involved. He’s a big body for his position. So he’s able to get into the lane and finish over the top of guys. He’s also developing a mid-range jumper that guys are hesitant to close out to, but he’s knocking it down.”

How have you seen the chemistry grow with you two?

Ingram: “It’s growing, and it’s a process. Sometimes we’re in the actions. Sometimes we’re on the opposite sides of the floor. But I always know when he has a mismatch on the floor. I always feel comfortable when he has the ball in his hands to make the right play. But we’re still growing to be in the actions together.”

With Collin’s game, what have you seen from the beginning of camp to now with his growth?

Ingram: “Consistency. Even at the beginning of camp, what you see now is what he’s been from day one. It’s impressive. Around this time, you would look for the rookies to hit a ‘rookie wall’ and waiting for the All-Star break. But he continues to show up every single game. That’s special.”

Before the season even started, you said that this is a playoff team. What did you see then?

Ingram: “I was saying it’s a playoff team because I was coming here and I was going to bring a lot (smiles). But I also knew that I was coming to a hard-working team. This is a team that plays hard every single night on the defensive end, for sure. We’re a team that can learn some things on the offensive end and how to be better, how to execute and how to make things easier. I knew that we would figure it out through the course of the season. We’re still figuring it out. There are some nights where we look really, really good. We’ve had some nights where we’ve learned. So I just had confidence in myself and had confidence in my teammates because everybody has high character and cares about the game of basketball.”

Speaking of which, JJ said something interesting before the game when he was with you in New Orleans that you’re one of these players that just loves playing basketball. What has kept your love for the game even through injuries and other ups and downs?

Ingram: “Injuries kept my love for the game. Failing kept my love for the game. You always got another day. You always got a chance to learn in the midst of good and bad. This is the game that I grew up playing. This is the game that I woke my Dad up in the middle of the night to go to the gym. This is the game that I watched my whole life. So I’m just continuing to practice and play to reach new levels and evolve my game each and every year.”

Before the latest game, you averaged around 24 points in 18 games against the Lakers and scored at least 20 in four of the past five matchups against them. Why does facing your former team bring out the best in you?

Ingram: “When you get to LA, there’s a different energy. Even when you’re stepping outside, it’s sunny in LA and you feel good. This is the city that drafted me. There’s always some good energy in this building. The Lakers have die-hard fans, so they always show me love when I come out here. I like playing in this environment.”

What did it mean to you that the Raptors signed you to an extension shortly after the trade?

Ingram: “It told me that they wanted me here. It made me feel comfortable and confident. It told me that they wanted me here. They were intrigued by my game and what I brought to the table. I felt good about it.”

Lastly, to the point that you said that you’re not yet playing up to your standard. What is the standard for both for yourself and for the group, and what will it take to get there?

Ingram: “The standard is to have a perfect game, a perfect night. We may not never get to it. But if we keep that the standard, then we get close enough. The standard is not to take plays off. My game plan before the game is to follow it and try to be the best player on the floor when I step on the floor.”

Mark Medina is an NBA insider for EssentiallySports. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.