Despite a rough patch, Ingram wants to keep the faith in his squad.
The Toronto Raptors are struggling at the worst possible time, and Brandon Ingram can sense it.
Toronto fell to the New Orleans Pelicans 122-111 on Wednesday night inside the Smoothie King Center, dropping the Raptors to 36-29 on the season and extending one of their roughest stretches of the year.
It was a game that had plenty of storylines going in, with Ingram returning to New Orleans for the first time since being traded to Toronto last February in exchange for Kelly Olynyk, Bruce Brown and a pair of draft picks.
The Pelicans honored Ingram with a first-quarter video tribute, and the crowd gave him a warm reception throughout the night, but the feel-good vibes did not carry over to the final score.
After the game, Ingram was honest about where things stand for a team that has now lost six of its last eight games.
"We're going through a little rough patch," Ingram said. "But I think that's going to make us come together even more. We just got to figure it out, figure out what's best for us offensively and defensively, and just play a little harder and get the best results out of it."
Ingram's Return Spoiled by Fourth-Quarter Collapse
Ingram did his part individually, finishing with 22 points on 8-of-19 shooting along with six rebounds, five assists and four steals in 38 minutes of action.
He also passed the 11,000-point mark for his career during the game, which is a nice milestone for the 28-year-old who has quietly become one of the more consistent scorers in the league over the past decade.
But one player's solid night was not enough to cover up the team's issues, and the Raptors fell apart when it mattered most.
Toronto actually cut an 18-point deficit down to just two early in the fourth quarter, which showed some fight and gave them a chance to steal the game on the road.
From there, though, the Pelicans outscored the Raptors 27-18 in the final frame to pull away for good, with Trey Murphy III pouring in 28 points and Dejounte Murray adding 27 in his best game since returning from a torn Achilles.
Why This Losing Streak Is So Concerning
The loss to the 22-45 Pelicans stings especially hard because of what it represents for a Raptors team that was sitting comfortably in the top five of the Eastern Conference not too long ago.
Toronto's slide has opened the door for the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat to jump ahead in the standings, and the Raptors now find themselves on the outside looking in at the top six.
The lack of depth and scoring consistency beyond Ingram has been a theme throughout this rough stretch, as the team has struggled to close out games in crunch time all season long.
Three-point shooting has been another problem, with the Raptors connecting on just 31.8 percent from deep against the Pelicans compared to New Orleans' 48.3 percent.
Can Toronto Still Be a Playoff Team?
Even with the recent slide, there is still plenty of reason to believe the Raptors can lock up a top-six seed and avoid the play-in tournament.
Ingram has been one of the best and most reliable players in the Eastern Conference this season, averaging 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game while not missing a single game so far this year.
Scottie Barnes continues to be one of the league's most complete two-way players, putting up 19.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.3 steals per game, and Immanuel Quickley has been steady as the team's primary playmaker with 6.0 assists per game.
The talent is there for Toronto, and 17 games still remain on the schedule, which gives them enough runway to turn things around and get back on track before the postseason.
The Raptors return home to face the Phoenix Suns on Friday night, and it could be the perfect chance to snap out of this funk and start building some momentum heading into April.
If Ingram's words ring true and this rough patch really does bring the team closer together, the Raptors have every reason to believe they can still be playing meaningful basketball well into the spring.