Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram is taking heat for both his performance in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals and what he said leading up to it.
Ingram scored just seven points on 3/15 shooting in Toronto’s 115-105 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Monday’s game at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Oh. That performance came after he took just one shot in the second half of Game 1, only to suggest that coach Darko Rajakovic was misusing him as a screener.
Ingram already faced some heat for what some saw as making excuses for his poor Game 1. The criticism only got louder after Game 2 to the point that Raptors analyst Leo Rautins publicly called out Ingram for his efforts in the series.
“Let me ask you a question. When the Raptors had Kawhi Leonard, did you ever hear him say ‘You got to give me the ball’? You never heard that. He never said anything like that in public,” Rautins said. “When you’re an All-Star, you get the ball. You go get it. You make plays.
“If you think about the pressure he just put himself under, publicly saying, ‘Hey, I need shots.’ You put pressure on the coach. Now coach has got to defend what he’s doing out there. Your teammates are answering questions about you and why you didn’t get shots. You’re trying to win a playoff game. Now you put pressure on everybody, including yourself. Then, the next game after that, you don’t deliver. You can’t do that. Not when you’re an All-Star. This is your job. You’ve got to score, and you’ve got to find ways to do it and not look for excuses in those situations.”
Leo Rautins criticizes Brandon Ingram after the Game 1 post-game callout:
— Omer Osman (@OmerOsman200) April 21, 2026
“When the Raptors had Kawhi Leonard, did you ever hear him say, ‘You got to give me the ball’? He never said anything like that in public.”
“When you’re an All-Star, you get the ball. You go get it. You… https://t.co/O6fFtHpcgG pic.twitter.com/lIsDoFzZEW
Ingram was Toronto’s leading scorer during the regular season, averaging 21.5 points per game. He has been a non-factor through two playoff games, and that is a big reason why the Raptors find themselves down 2-0. He has only exacerbated his problems by making what many see as excuses, then failing to deliver after demanding more of the ball.
Previously, Rajakovic has covered for Ingram after bad games. Ingram not taking responsibility now only makes that look worse.
