Aussies in NBA: Joe Ingles is struggling for consistency

For Joe Ingles, the 2015/16 NBA season has had its ups and down. His minutes fluctuate on a nightly basis, and his team is now 3 games under .500 at 10-13. The loss of Rudy Gobert can't be underestimated, and it is clear that Utah's defence is missing their anchor.

Ingles' minutes have been almost halved compared with last season (11 minutes per game, down from 21 minutes last season). This large drop off has led to Ingles' role within the team not being so clear. Jingles has only scored in double figures (10 points) once this season, which was way back on the 31st of October.

Although his minutes had been slashed, Ingles was staying involved and proving important for the Jazz through October and November with his efficient shooting. Unfortunately, this efficiency has dropped off in the month of December.

Through 16 games in October and November, Ingles shot 50% from the field and 46.2% on three-pointers. After 7 games in December, Ingles' efficiency has dwindled to 35% shooting from the field and 26.7% from deep.

This shooting slump has seen coach Quin Snyder look to others and Ingles finds himself basically out of the rotation when the game is on the line. Only when Utah is up big or getting blown out does Ingles see significant minutes. He needs to continue to work on finding his spots and staying ready if he wants to force his way back into the rotation.

In yesterdays game against fellow Aussie Patty Mills and the Spurs, Ingles played just under 22 minutes, his most since November 5th. This jump in minutes was mostly due to the Spurs dominating the game and having the game basically under control after the first quarter.

To Ingles' credit, he looked ready and was obviously looking to stay engaged on both ends of the court. It was great seeing two Aussies go head to head. This time, Patty Mills took the chocolates, finishing with 11 points (3/4 from deep), 3 rebounds, 2 assists and the W. Jingles finished with 4 points (0/3 from deep), 4 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals.

Check out the video below for a summary of Ingles' game, highlighted by a nice assist to Trevor Booker for the slam!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGqLT0MVy08&feature=youtu.be

Utah hit the court against New Orleans tomorrow, keep an eye on Jingles as he attempts to find his shooting groove once again.