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Jazzy Joe making a fresh contribution between the lines

USA's LeBron James embraces Australia's Joe Ingles. AP Photo/Charles Krupa
Roar Guru
11th December, 2014
2

Looking at Joe Ingles’ raw statistics, you would struggle to see what he is doing well

He doesn’t score many points, doesn’t pull down many rebounds and he doesn’t dish out many assists.

Yet Ingles’ time with the Utah Jazz is a case of a player being on the right team for his skills, with the right coach who values his abilities.

To see Ingles’ value as a player you have to look beyond the stats and watch him play.

Ingles is an intangibles player, with a selfless game based on doing the little things that allow his teammates to play better.

He doesn’t take bad shots, focuses on passing the ball to the right spots, boxes out on rebounds, makes an effort in defence, and he is a great personality to have in the locker room.

After seeing Ingles close-up through the preseason, revered Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers became a fan and was effusive in his praise of the Australian small forward.

“I just think a guy that knows how to play, when you put him on a good team, he can be really good” Rivers said.

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“And he’s a great guy that you want on your team.”

Although the Clippers cut Ingles before he joined the Jazz, they were hopeful of picking him up again after reshuffling their roster. They gambled on the other teams focusing on Ingles’ stats and not watching his play on the court.

Despite Rivers’ obvious credentials, Ingles couldn’t have asked for a better coaching fit for his style of play than Jazz coach Quinn Snyder.

Snyder preaches ball movement more than any coach in the NBA, which suits Ingles’ ‘pass first’ mentality. That Snyder would adopt such a game style is unsurprising given his background with the San Antonio Spurs system and European basketball.

Snyder coached the Spurs D-League affiliate the Austin Toros and spent last season under long-time Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer in Atlanta. He also spent a year as an assistant at CSKA Moscow under legendary European coach Ettore Messina, who as it happens, is now an assistant coach with the Spurs.

It was during this time with CSKA Moscow when Snyder first came across Ingles, competing in the Euroleague. Here Snyder became a fan of Ingles’ smart, unselfish play.

Considering Ingles only joined the Jazz two days before the start of the season, Snyder’s familiarity with his game was pivotal in his immediate injection into the team’s rotation.

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Under Snyder the Jazz have led the league in passes per game (as per NBA.com stats) and with such a pass-heavy offence, Snyder values smart decision-makers like Ingles, who will move the ball to the right positions on the court.

The trust in Ingles’ passing by his coach is evident by the responsibilities entrusted to him at key moments this season.

The Jazz have won two games this year on buzzer beaters and on both occasions Ingles was used by Snyder as the inbound passer.

While Ingles is unlikely to ever be one of the Jazz’s best five players, he is likely to be in their five players who play the best together.

It’s been a long journey to the NBA for Ingles, but the consummate ‘Glue Guy’ should stick around for a while.

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