Utah Jazz have been better off with Slow-Mo’ Joe

In the wake of Gordon Hayward’s unexpected departure from the Utah Jazz, Joe Ingles has stepped all season long as the team’s starting small forward.

When Gordon Hayward announced his decision to leave the only professional team he had ever known to go play for his college coach and mentor, Brad Stevens, with the Boston Celtics, many Utah Jazz fans were prepared for their team to take a slight step back.

However, when fans realized his only replacement would be Joe Ingles, who had been signed to a four-year, $52 million contract, many became even less enthused. The 29-year old Australian was far from a star player and had been cut from two teams before landing a spot as Hayward’s backup. How would the Jazz ever be able to cope?

Pretty well, apparently.

With the Jazz having lost only two more games than last year with just three left to play, let’s look at how Ingles has performed in Hayward’s stead.

For those expecting the Jazz to fall off of a cliff after Hayward left during the offseason, the unexpected arrival of Donovan Mitchell and the continued dominance of Rudy Gobert certainly altered that perception. But Ingles has also been a key contributor as Utah’s starting small forward.

Ingles’ total win shares currently rank 32nd in the NBA and SEVENTH among fellow small forwards. In comparison, Hayward ranked 15th in win shares league-wide last season, but was only sixth among small forwards.

So, in a nutshell, the Utah Jazz lost the sixth “best” small forward and replaced him with the seventh best. At a discount price, no less. Now, by no stretch of the imagination do I believe that Ingles is a better player than Hayward. But I believe that Ingles may fit better into his role on this team than Hayward would have.

Hayward sported a 27 percent usage rate last season, compared to Ingles’ 16 percent this year. Mitchell’s usage is sitting at a 29 percent clip this season. That number ranks fourth all-time for a rookie and is a number that wouldn’t have been attainable with Hayward still on the team. While I don’t believe that Mitchell should maintain such a high rate, it has allowed him to develop rapidly during his rookie campaign.

A lot of this wouldn’t have been possible with Hayward hogging possessions.

Ingles also shoots better from long-range, allowing the Jazz to spread the floor and have Mitchell do what he does best; i.e. get into the lane and make plays. Ingles can be a cagey defender as well, which can be shown by him having more defensive win shares this season than Hayward did last year.

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So, although Jazz and Celtics fans have had their war of words over the Hayward, I personally believe that the Jazz have been much better off rolling with Jinglin’ Joe.