The New Orleans Pelicans claimed their second win of the season as the team left the Spectrum Center with a victory of 115-110 over the Charlotte Hornets. Brandon Ingram, the No. 2 overall select of the 2016 NBA Draft, again shot down 25 points and nine rebounds to help the Pelicans win.

After he was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers, one question that was raised frequently was if he would ever cash in on the talent he has and meet people's expectations to become an All-Star or even a superstar player.

However, his years in purple and gold did not do much good and some even began to ask if he even has what it takes. 

To be fair, the former "Blue Devil" of Duke has top-class physical conditions. With 2.01-meter height and 2.21-meter wingspan, Ingram is built to play basketball. He does not have to dodge the opponent's defense completely because he can take shots, thanks to his long arms. Meanwhile, his huge stride length helps him find shooting chance more easily than others in penetration.

Compared to many players of his size, Ingram has better dribbles and faster speed, which allow him to break through the opponents' defense more easily. Thanks to his thin body, when you watch his game you often notice that instead of surpassing the defender directly, Ingram slides past the defense.

There are two things Ingram did better this season. One is the enhancement of his core stability. His narrow shoulders tell how hard it is for him to put on enough weight, but Ingram has never been a fan of tussling his way toward the basket, he prefers to slash with speed and dribbles. Better core stability has enriched his finishing moves when he is a little far from the rim.

The other improvement Ingram achieved this season is off-ball game. Back in those days in the Lakers, his most offensive work was concentrated between the free throw line and the paint, making his game very predictable. Nonetheless, his off-ball attacks almost doubled this season in the Pelicans and a lot of this growth came from the 3-point line. When a guy of Ingram's size can both bury 3-pointers and dribble his way toward the rim in one of two strides, he could give the opponents' defense a very hard time.

Hayward's broken hand sours Celtics' straight wins

The Boston Celtics claimed their seventh straight win as the team beat the San Antonio Spurs 135-115 at the AT&T Center. Thanks to this victory, the Celtics joined their nemesis Lakers to become the league's only two teams with a record of 7-1. However, a piece of bad news almost jeopardized the team's happiness: Gordon Hayward suffered fractured left hand.

29-year-old Hayward was the biggest contributor to Boston's remarkable performance so far in this season. Having drooped 20.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists with an efficiency of 56-percent field goal rate, 44-percent of 3-point rate and 84 percent of free throw rate, Hayward reminded fans of the complete All-Star forward he was in 2017. More importantly, this is his best season since he came back from the horrible injury of fractured tibia and dislocated ankle.

The team remained positive about Haywards condition. "This one doesn't feel near as bad as it did two years ago, so he'll be back, he'll just be off a few weeks or a month or whatever it is. I just told him to keep his head up, I think at the end of the day that's all you can do. He works hard, he'll be in good shape, he'll keep himself in good shape and he'll be ready to go when he gets back. But now he needs to help encourage some of our wings off the bench, they need to be ready to be called upon to add value to winning every night," said Brad Stevens, head coach of the Celtics, according to NBC Sports.

"We just all feel so bad for him because he worked so hard to come back from one injury, with all the things he's been doing, and now this happens. Our hearts go out to him, and now we have to play for him until he gets back and hold the fort down," said Marcus Smart, according to ClutchPoints.

Other games on Sunday included (home teams in bold):

Dallas Mavericks 138-122 Memphis Grizzlies

Golden State Warriors 108-114 Oklahoma City Thunder

Houston Rockets 117-94 Chicago Bulls