Utah Jazz ’17-18 review: Joe Ingles silences critics

Joe Ingles had a tremendous 2017-18 season and silenced any and all who were concerned about the contract he signed with the Utah Jazz last summer.

Needless to say, following the departure of Gordon Hayward in the 2017 offseason, Utah Jazz fans were a little bit upset. It seemed a team formerly on the rise was suddenly about to be derailed after losing their lone All-Star. As a result, some fans went the negative route and looked for just about anything and everything to be critical of.

One of the main such items that drew the ire of a handful of fans was the then recently inked contract of Joe Ingles. Ingles proved himself as an invaluable part of this Jazz squad in 2016-17, but some were still shocked at the heftiness of his four-year, $52 million deal.

Despite the fact that it was a descending contract, starting at $13.6 million and dropping to $10.3 million in 2020-21, there were still questions about whether the then-29-year-old was deserving of such a payday.

In hindsight, those accusations were simply silly, as Ingles only continued to improve this season, blew expectations out of the water and silenced his doubters.

For the second straight year, Ingles appeared in all 82 games, starting all but one of them. He elevated his points per game from 7.1 in 2016-17 to 11.5 in 2017-18. He also upped his assists (2.7 to 4.8), rebounds (3.2 to 4.2) and field goal percentage (45.2 to 46.7). His three-point shooting remained sky-high, an incredible 44 percent (fourth best in the league), despite his deep-ball attempts elevating from 3.4 to 5.7 per game.

Beyond the box score, Ingles continued to be a solid wing defender for the Jazz, furthering his reputation as a formidable 3-and-D player, the exact kind that is highly coveted across the league. He added some nice moves to his offensive repertoire, including more confidence on his drives and a finesse floater.

He also was an impressive vocal leader for the Jazz, both in his hilarious jeers and encouragement for his own teammates and his renowned trash talk against his opponents. Ingles came up big on both ends of the floor in Utah’s first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder by playing solid D on Paul George and hitting big shots when it mattered most.

In short, Ingles easily earned every penny of the contract that some once viewed as questionable. He outplayed expectations and solidified himself even further as one of the most beloved players on the team with his witty sense of humor, stellar locker room presence, exceptional play and the occasional dig at his opponents.

Next: Utah Jazz: Prospects to watch out for at NBA Draft Combine

As Ingles continues to add more to his game while maintaining his electric three-point shooting, he’s only going to become more of an asset for this Utah Jazz team. I would honestly love to see him show even more willingness than he already has to pull the trigger and shoot the deep-ball.

As a career 41.6 percent three-point shooter who’s converted on over 44 percent in each of the past two years, he has every right let it fly.