The offseason moves made by the Utah Jazz front office have in all likelihood allowed Joe Ingles to slide into a bench role. How does this change bring out the best in his game?
With most of the Utah Jazz’s recent publicity centered on the acquisitions of Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic, little has been said about how these two moves create a trickle-down effect throughout the roster.
Of all the players returning to the Jazz next season, Joe Ingles may be the most effected. The starting lineup next season is expected to include Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell in the backcourt, Bojan Bogdanovic and either Jeff Green or Royce O’Neale in the forward spots, and Rudy Gobert at center.
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Thus, leaving Joe Ingles to return to the bench after two years with the starting unit, placing another arrow in the quiver of Quin Snyder, who has seemingly endless possibilities with regards to the lineups he can put on the floor.
With two capable creators now in the backcourt, and I suspect Coach Snyder will stagger them to assure one of them is on the court for all 48 minutes. As a result, Ingles may never be forced into the primary ball handling role. This allows him to play his natural, more effective role of working with an advantage created by the offense.
In the last two seasons as a starter, Slow-Mo’ Joe has averaged 11.8 points on 45.7 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from 3-point land, as well 5.3 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals in just over 31 minutes per game.
Coming up on 32 years of age, expecting Ingles to start and play 30-plus minutes each night was going to be a stretch, which is why the Bogdanovic signing in particular really releases the burden on Joe.
Another aspect of this will be how much the floor will open up for the sharpshooter given the new personnel. The Jazz can conceivably put a lineup on the floor of Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanovic and Rudy Gobert. This should be as potent of an offensive lineup as you will see in the NBA.
With the best rim roller in the NBA, four guys who are capable of creating with ball in hand, including two elite dynamic guards, and four capable shooters, including two snipers on the wings, the Jazz could wreak havoc offensively with this unit.
I’m expecting Ingles to come off the bench and pick apart opposing benches for around 25 minutes per game, while shooting the ball at a great clip and putting his name in the Sixth Man of the Year conversation.
Although Ingles’ role may be slightly reduced, you can expect his impact to be just as prominent.
Statistics courtesy of Basketball Reference.