Aussies in the NBA: The Ingles Invasion
The Jazz went 4-0 over the past week, and are 9-2 since the All-Star break. The team is on a streak, and Joe ingles is playing a huge role during this surge.
[gfycat data_id="HalfAgreeableBovine" data_autoplay=true data_expand=true] During the week Ingles lost his starting position, but that doesn’t have to been seen as a negative. Against the Knicks, Ingles came off the bench and played almost 36 minutes, and got plenty of playing time when it mattered most; in the fourth quarter.
When the game was tied at 73 with 6 minutes remaining, it was Ingles who stepped up and made two big plays. He hit a long 2-point jumper to regain the lead and on the next possession, with the assist from Dante Exum, drained a 3-pointer.
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The Knicks were forced to call a timeout to combat the Ingles takeover! Ingles finished with 12 points (9 coming in the final quarter), 5 assists and 3 rebounds.
Ingles played a very handy role in what was one of the most impressive Utah performances of the season against Houston. Utah easily dispatched the Rockets by 18 points. Once again he was shooting the outside ball well and was able to drain a pair from behind the arc.
In Brooklyn, Ingles struggled to find his shooting touch and shot only 1/5 from the field. But he did produce a nice drive to the basket and sweet dish to a waiting Exum.
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The increase of aggression from Ingles is great to see, but I still think he could drive to the basket more, and finish the play himself. For the whole week Ingles only had 3 shot attempts in the paint. He isn’t the quickest player around, which doesn’t help this aspect, but he is crafty and smart enough to find his way to the rim.
Catching up in The Zone
‘Slow-Mo Joe’ caught up with ‘The Zone’ again for his weekly interview. Joe talked about Utah’s 4-game win streak, Vegemite, and his new bench role.
Ingles is enjoying the way his team is playing post All-Star break; “It’s been a bit of fun. Since the All-Star break it has kind of just clicked a little bit more and everyone’s playing at high level.’”
When asked, “how much sweeter does Vegemite taste when you win?” Ingles showed his true Aussie colours, “It’s amazing.” He continued by saying he is yet to find a non-Australian teammate that likes it.
Ingles reiterated that he just wants to play his role for the team; “For me honestly, I don’t care if I’m starting or coming off the bench. It doesn’t change my attitude or motivation. For me it’s not an issue. I’m here to help the team in whatever way I can.”
“We’ve got a great group of guys that are very level headed. They understand that you can’t get too high or low and Quin [Snyder] and the coaching staff do a great job of keeping us motivated. It’s a long season, so you’ve just got to keep motivated and keep pushing a long.”
Ingles may find himself coming off the bench for the remainder of the season, but don’t think that this will result in a drop off in production. Ingles understands his role, and knows what he has to do to help his team win. All he is concerned about is just that: winning.