At the beginning of the NCAA basketball season, Ben Simmons (I wrote about Simmons earlier in the season) was looked at as easily the top NBA Draft prospect and basically be on a tier of his own. But Duke small forward Brandon Ingram has seemed to have closed the gap between the two.

Ingram got off to rather slow start to his collegiate career after entering the season being the third ranked incoming freshman by ESPN. Through his first seven games, he averaged just 10.9 points and 3.9 rebounds, shooting 38.8 percent from the field and 24.0% from three.

Since then, he’s averaged 20.3 points and 7.7 rebounds, while shooting 53.4 percent from the field and just about 47 percent from three and tallied seven 20+ point games over the 14 game stretch.

For the season, Ingram is averaging 17.1 points and 6.4 rebounds as well as 1.7 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.4 steals and shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three.

Listed at 6’9″, Ingram has guard-like skills with the height of a forward. He has a 7’3″ wingspan and a 9’1″ standing reach, according to DraftExpress, to go along with very smooth athleticism.

He is, however, listed at just 190 pounds on Duke’s athletics website and is very literally rail thin.

His length mixed with athleticism make him very hard to guard for defenses, as he can blow by bigger defenders or just simply shoot over smaller ones.

His length also helps him a ton finishing around the rim, where can reach around defenders and use his nice touch to finish awkward shots. On the season, he is making 62.5 percent of his shots at the rim, according to Hoop-Math.com. For comparison, former Blue Devils Justise Winslow made 66.7 percent at the rim last season and Jabari Parker made 62.7 percent of his shots at the rim.

Ingram’s jump shot looks to be a legitimate weapon for him as well. As mentioned before, he’s shooting 41.7 percent from beyond the arc while taking 5.1 per game, making 2.1 of them. As for his two-point jumper, Ingram is making them at a 48.8 percent clip, taking 3.8 per game, per Hoop-Math.com. His efficiency from all over the court projects him as legitimate threat from all three levels.

However, he does make just 64.0 percent of his free throws on the season, which does bring up some concern with the validity of his impressive jump shooting numbers.

On the defensive end, Ingram posts solid numbers of 1.5 blocks and 1.4 steals and a defensive rating 100.2 for the season. His length helps him disrupt offenses and get his hand on a lot passes and shots. He still does have some moments on defense where he won’t closeout hard or have some lapses.

HOW INGRAM COMPARES TO PREVIOUS TOP WING PROSPECTS

Player Pts/40 TS% 3P% USG% ORtg Brandon Ingram 21.2 59.5 41.7 24.4 123.1 Stanley Johnson 19.4 55.1 37.1 26.6 111.1 Justise Winslow 17.3 57.2 41.8 22.9 115.2 Andrew Wiggins 20.8 56.3 34.1 26.3 116.1 Jabari Parker 25.0 55.8 35.8 32.7 115.0 Otto Porter Jr. 18.3 59.0 42.2 24.1 122.3 Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 15.3 57.0 25.5 20.6 115.5 Kawhi Leonard 19.0 51.2 29.1 27.6 112.5

*Pts/40 = Points per 40 minutes | TS% = True shooting percentage | 3P% = 3 point percentage | USG% = Usage percentage | ORtg = Offensive rating | Drtg = Defensive rating |

Above is a table of some of the top wing prospects, and some of their numbers from their final college season, to be drafted over the past five years and how Ingram compares. As you can see, Ingram compares well with these guys. He’s scoring the second most points per 40 minutes, behind only Jabari Parker, has the best true shooting percentage, third in three-point percentage, has the best offensive rating, while only having the fifth highest usage rate.

Ingram’s low usage rate shows that he is capable of being productive without being the main focus of the offense or the offense running through him. He is capable of finding a groove and scoring points and being productive within the teams offense.

NBA COMPARISONS

One NBA comparison for Ingram that I thought was interesting was Tayshaun Prince. Prince is also a long, skinny wing that was able to score in a variety of ways without being the main focal point of an offense. Ingram’s collegiate numbers so far show an ability to be a similar player.

Another one that has been floating around since Ingram started getting some attention, is Kevin Durant. Now, obviously this is an absolute best-case scenario for Ingram. The comparison mostly comes from the two sharing similar frames and length and Ingram showing a nice jumper and smooth athleticism.

NBA FITS

The Sixers currently have the worst record in the league, so therefore the most likely to have the top pick. Ingram would be a nice fit in Philadelphia, who need a perimeter scoring threat to open up the paint for Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid (if he ever plays).

The Sixers don’t have much in terms of perimeter prospects right now and are loaded up on young bigs. Ingram could open up the court for them and give them another go-to scoring option outside of Okafor.

Ingram would also be a good fit for the Lakers, who currently slot at as the two pick. He would fit nicely with the young core they’ve started to assemble in LA with D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle.

The Celtics have the rights for the Nets pick, who currently have the third worst record in the NBA. If the Celtics keep the pick, Ingram could give them a perimeter shooting option as Boston currently ranks 23rd in FG% and 24th in 3P%.

The Timberwolves slot as the fourth pick right now and Ingram could be an interesting fit. They already have Wiggins on the wing but Ingram could play next to him. Throw Ingram in with Wiggins, Towns and LaVine and the T’Wolves would be the most exciting young team in the league.

In my opinion, Ingram is pretty easily the second best player in the draft, behind Simmons. Ingram has managed to close the gap slightly since the start of the season, but Simmons still has him beat, for me. But let me know what you think below.