Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson vs Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles
Jazzman vs Jazzman. This may be the only situation wherein two regular rotation players on the Utah Jazz are competing against each other this season. Luckily, the competition is a healthy one.
We’ve already made the case at the J-Notes that Joe Ingles deserved to be recognized as the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year over his teammate in 2020-21, much to the dismay of several commenters. However, two variables stand to decrease Ingles’ odds of winning the award in 2021-22: age and role.
Unfortunately for Utah Jazz fans, Joe Ingles is 34. He seems a likely candidate for age-related regression this season. Although Ingles’ style of play has never been reliant on athleticism, every player in NBA history has begun to decline eventually. Even if his game suffers no drop-off, it’s possible that Quin Snyder will choose to preserve his body for a hopefully deep postseason run
Last year, Ingles’ case for the Sixth Man of the Year award rested on his sterling advanced metrics. This season, the sample size is simply too small to judge his progress thus far. A statistical quirk is worth noting for the sake of amusement: through 2 games, Ingles sports a -19.3 Box Plus/Minus (BPM) and a 167 Offensive Rating. At this stage in the season, take those stats with an entire shaker of salt.
The factor that’s most likely to keep the Sixth Man of the Year award out of the Utah Jazz forward’s hands is the same one that probably did last season: his role. By far, the majority of Sixth Man of the Year winners resemble Jordan Clarkson: microwave scorers.
That’s never been Ingles’ MO. He impacts the game with his three-point spacing, passing, defense and overall basketball IQ. He’s not a strong candidate to score 30 points off the bench on any given night.
You can debate the legitimacy of the award’s criteria as enthusiastically as you’d like, but there’s no denying that Ingles’ style of play doesn’t usually garner Sixth Man of the Year consideration. For that reason, he’s not the leading candidate for that award this season.