I was excited about the Jazz before the season started. It seemed they could be one of the best teams in the league. I was half right and half wrong. The Jazz were 4th in the Western Conference before the COVID-19 hiatus. I thought they could be better. Mike Conley underperformed vastly. They had a couple of hard stretches but started playing better with the addition of Jordan Clarkson. Unfortunately now, their arguably best player in Bojan Bogdanovic due to surgery on his wrist. That means Joe Ingles is the next man up for them.
With Bojan out, that’s a hefty 20 PPG left on the table for the rest of the team. While Donovan Mitchell, Jordan Clarkson, and Mike Conley should get more points, none of them played the 3 like Bogdanovic often did. Do you know who does? Joe Ingles. With Bojan out, Joe Ingles’s role just becomes that much bigger. Sure, Joe already averages 30 minutes a game, I don’t see that going up. However, I think his role in the offense will be increased exponentially, especially if the Jazz want a chance to win.
Joe Ingles Stats
Joe Ingles 9.8 PPG on 44.1% shooting, including shooting 39.7% from 3, 5.2 APG, and 4 RPG. He currently leads the team in assists. That shows you that he is more of a facilitator on this team. With the talent that surrounds him, that makes the most sense for him. However, with injuries and COVID-19, Joe Ingles will have to do more than just facilitate the ball if the Jazz want to win playoff series. He will need to increase his scoring. He was the next man up behind Bojan Bogdanovic. So if he is leaving 20 PPG on the board for the Jazz, there’s no reason why Joe can’t average 15 PPG in the Orlando bubble.
The Jazz have a great defensive team. They also play at a molasses speed pace. The Jazz control the pace of the game and play defense to win the game. They didn’t have to worry about scoring as much because Bojan was their leading scorer. With him out, someone has to pick up the scoring. Sure, others on the team will improve slightly but someone needs to pick up the brunt of that scoring. It’s looking bleak for the Jazz. If Joe Ingles plays well, they just might have a chance yet.
