Brandon Ingram’s climbing up NBA Draft boards with his long arms

At this point in his career, it’s reasonable to call Duke freshman Brandon Ingram “lanky.” After all, Ingram is a 6-9 18-year-old who weighs just 196 pounds. And that’s after he put on 23 pounds over the summer.

Born in September of 1997, Ingram is one of the youngest prospects on our 2016 Big Board. His incredibly long arms (7-3 wingspan) only accentuate the fact that he’s a young kid who hasn’t yet grown into his adult body. A large part of his attraction as an NBA player revolves around his lankiness, too. His size makes him a tough guard at the small forward spot and gives him the ability to be a good defender on the other end, where he can use his long arms to challenge shots and generate steals.

Ingram has shown of both of those attributes so far this season, as he’s settled into a major role for the Blue Devils.

Ingram has been one of the team’s go-to shooting options when on the floor this season. As a freshman, Ingram is attempting 26.8 percent of available shots. That number is just slightly higher than much admired sophomore Grayson Allen, who leads the team in scoring. Allen’s ability to break down defenses off the dribble helps highlight one of Ingram’s best attributes — his shooting.

So far this year, Ingram has attempted 36 percent of his shots from behind the 3-point line. He’s made a rather pedestrian 34 percent of those attempts, but that’s over a sample of just 35 shots. What’s interesting is that 92 percent of Ingram’s attempts from deep have been assisted. Ingram’s length and shooting ability makes him the perfect target for guards like Allen because he’s able to rise up over defenders closing out to the perimeter.

Here’s a good look at Ingram rising up over the outstretched arm of a coming defender:

Ingram’s length is not just a weapon on the offensive end — it also makes him a very effective defender. He already ranks among the top 500 Division I players in both block rate and steal rate, according to KenPom. His 7-3 wingspan comes in handy especially when Ingram acts as a help defender. Against Buffalo, he registered four blocks and none of them were more impressive than this help side rejection late in the game:

For a bit more perspective, here’s Ingram at his peak on that block:

Ingram is already a talented shooter with the physical tools to be a great defender, which he’s shown at various points in the season. It’s still early, though. At some point — with NBA and even collegiate training regimens and diets — Ingram figures to grow into his lanky frame. When he does, his size combined with his skill set could help turn the North Carolina native into a star.