Joe Ingles is etching himself into Jazz record books

Joe Ingles doesn't consider himself a shooter. Well, at least not all the time.

It might sound strange, coming from a player who is just one made three-point shot away from third for most three-point field goals in Utah Jazz history. He currently sits on 540, but when he does knock down that next big bomb, only Gordon Hayward (689) and John Stockton (845) will be ahead of him.

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However, the Aussie knows he has a whole lot more to offer in the best league in the world.

In a recent Q&A with UtahJazz.com, the Australian discussed a number of topics, including whether he believes he is a 'shooter'.

"No, and I still don’t really," he said. "My first reaction is to get downhill and try to create for my teammates. I’m only going to shoot when I get a good open look."

Ingles also mentions that he only considers himself a shooter at times, however it took him a while to have the confidence he does at the moment.

In his first two seasons in the NBA, Ingles shot 35.6% and 38.6% from downtown. Although these aren't poor numbers, they are nothing compared to what he has shot since. In the next two regular seasons, he went at least 44%, while so far in 2018/19 he is shooting close to 40% from deep.

The 31-year-old attributed the improvement to acclimatising to the pace of the NBA.

“I used to catch and take a big dip down and then finally I’d try to shoot," Ingles explained.

"That first year playing the NBA, I was realising how little time you have to shoot the ball. The time you have from when you catch it to the guy closing out is just a split second."

Credit must be given to Ingles, who entered the league having already spent eight years playing professional basketball around the world. The ability to adapt in such a way is an impressive feat and the results are in the numbers.

Ingles explained the coaching staff, specifically Quinn Snyder and assistant Zach Guthrie were pivotal in making the necessary changes.

Nowadays, the Australian has incredible confidence with the ball in hand, despite not necessarily fitting the mould of what many believe is an NBA player. He is far from one-dimensional and acts as a crucial playmaker for the Jazz.

Shooter or not, it's safe to say Joe Ingles is carving out a phenomenal NBA career, and it's only a matter of time before he finds himself on top of that Jazz three-point shooting leaderboard.