Is Brandon Ingram playing vs Canada? September 10, 2023 | FIBA World Cup 2023 Bronze Medal Game

Brandon Ingram hasn't had the kind of dominant impact on the FIBA World Cup 2023 that he would have hoped for. Ingram struggled to find rhythm early on in the tournament. Throughout the FIBA World Cup, he has averaged just 5.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, a stark contrast from his NBA stats.

He missed Team USA's semifinal loss against Team Germany due to an upper respiratory illness. Team USA will now play Team Canada in the bronze medal game, and it will do so without Ingram, who missed practice with the team on Saturday.

Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press has confirmed that Brandon Ingram will miss the bronze medal game against Canada due to an illness.

Earlier, a report from Christos Tsaltas of Sportal had indicated that the upper respiratory illness that kept Ingram from Friday's game will also sideline him for Sunday. From the sound of things, many are beginning to question whether or not the illness is the reason for Ingram's struggles throughout the tournament so far.

JJ Redick gives his analysis on Brandon Ingram's struggles

Although Brandon Ingram was expected to start for Team USA, he wound up getting demoted to the secondary unit by coach Steve Kerr. Although the decision came as a shock to many, Brandon Ingram himself said that he supported the decision to move Josh Hart into the starter spot.

At the time, Steve Kerr spoke about the shift, and explained that Ingram would have the chance to handle the ball more with the secondary unit, opening up his game. He was quoted by ClutchPoints.com:

"The game was much smoother. He had five assists. There was more space, he had the ball more. I know he enjoyed it. ...

"I can't speak highly enough of BI, just his character and the way he handled that because he's not used to coming off the bench and he was playing fine. It wasn't, you know, he wasn't really struggling. He just wasn't featured in that lineup.”

USA v Germany: Semi Final - FIBA Basketball World Cup

The sentiment was one that was shared by former NBA veteran JJ Redick, who spoke about the situation on his YouTube channel. Similarly to Kerr, Redick surmised that Brandon Ingram simply wasn't used to the role he was placed in, and without being a primary scorer, he was out of his element. Redick said:

"I don't think at any point in time he was the third guy, he certainly hasn't been the fifth guy in a starting lineup, maybe the third? But for most of his career, he's been A1 or A2, and I think he's probably had the most difficult challenge [adjusting his game]."

With Ingram sidelined for Team USA's bronze medal game, his FIBA World Cup run has come to an end.