Damien Inglis played in his second D-League game with the Canton Charge on Saturday, and the Milwaukee Bucks will have been pleased by the promising play he offered up.
After a solid debut with the Canton Charge on Wednesday night that highlighted both the strengths that provoked the Milwaukee Bucks to believe in him, and the flaws that have him assigned to the D-League, Damien Inglis returned to the action in the Canton Memorial Civic Center on Saturday.
With the Bakersfield Jam in town as the opponent, Inglis once again impressed helping the Charge to their second successive win since his arrival.
More from Bucks News
- Bucks 2023-24 player profile: Can MarJon Beauchamp take a leap?
- Piecing together the Milwaukee Bucks’ dream starting 5 in 5 years
- Predicting Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s 2023-24 stats for the Bucks
- Grade the trade: Bucks land reputable backup guard in swap with Pacers
- New workout video should have Milwaukee Bucks fans excited
There’s a clear correlation between the two as well. On this occasion, Inglis time in the game would lead to the Charge opening up a larger lead, only for the game to tighten up again once he was sitting on the bench.
After his first two games, Inglis is comfortably leading Canton in plus/minus with the team being a commanding 13 points better off than their opponents when Inglis is on the floor. That’s a rating that betters the second placed Quinn Cook by a full five points too.
Oct 6, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Damien Inglis (17) dunks the ball against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
How exactly is it that Inglis is influencing his team? Looking at Saturday’s game it’s clear to see that he’s bringing a confidence and assertiveness to proceedings.
This will likely prove to be music to the ears of the Milwaukee Bucks front office and coaching staff, as the whole purpose of sending players down to D-League on assignment is to allow them to grow in self-belief and establish what their game really is.
Inglis first entered this game late in the first quarter, with 3:01 remaining on the clock and the Charge trailing by five. The man from French Guiana wasted no time in getting to work.
Inglis grabbed the first rebound available to him and didn’t stand around and look for a point guard to drop the ball off too, instead seizing control and pushing tempo.
The 20-year-old looked assured carrying the ball down court in transition, and then he had the vision to dish to an open teammate for an easy three.
Having had some success with his back to the basket in his first game, Inglis once again showed no hesitation in calling for the ball down low either.
After developing strong position on this play, and in spite of slightly shaky handling, Inglis remained composed and utilized his strength to create space for this nifty turnaround fadeaway.
Within the space of just over a minute, the Buck was already imposing his will on the game. On the next possession down the floor, he found himself in space and had his number called again.
A nice pass over the top of the Bakersfield defense from Quinn Cook found Inglis wide open on the right side, and the youngster effortlessly knocked down the three-pointer.
Still, Inglis wasn’t done for his strong first quarter though. In the previous game he had been guilty of trying to force a tough inside pass that resulted in a turnover, yet that wasn’t going to be case this time out.
Showing good patience as he backed his man down, Inglis showed nice intelligence to wait for a teammate to make a cut, and when Juvonte Reddic eventually obliged, Inglis’ execution was perfect.
Having come into the game with his team trailing by five, within the space of three minutes Inglis turned the game on its head to give Canton a four point lead. Talk about impact.
That strong play continued over into the second, where the swingman showed good engagement on both ends of the floor. A strong defensive contest on one end was followed up by him running the floor to get the reward of an open jump shot on offense. Of course, he knocked it down.
Inglis would sit the majority of the remainder of the half, before returning in the third quarter. He remained active and involved, and while he didn’t make quite the same dent on the box score as he did in the first, the Charge continued to put their foot down with him on the floor.
The third quarter saw him make a single free throw, his final point of the contest, yet all of a sudden with three missed jump shots, he didn’t like quite as smooth either.
Only thing that irks me about Damien Inglis is a mini-hitch in some of his jumpers. It's subtle, but it's there and needs to be fixed.
— Chris Reichert (@Chris_Reichert) November 29, 2015
Regardless, when Inglis went to the bench for the last time at the end of the third his team had a seven point lead, the fact that the final margin ended up only being two following a fourth quarter without him tells its own story.
Inglis finished the game having played 18 minutes with eight points, four assists, three rebounds, a steal and a block, while shooting 3-8 from the field and 1-3 from deep.
Canton’s next game takes place on Friday in Fort Wayne against the Mad Ants.