Between Giannis, Middleton, pre-ACL Jabari, Knight/MCW, and John Henson, it’s been easy to forget that there’s another young piece on this team. He’s not even 20 years old yet, and we have no idea what he’s capable of in the NBA, but Damien ‘The Inglis Patient‘ Inglis is still on the Bucks’ roster, and he’s still got really good potential. Let’s revisit who he is and why the Bucks selected him with the very valuable first pick in the second round of last year’s draft.
Sep 29, 2014; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Damien Inglis during media day at the Cousins Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Here are some select quotes from nbadraft.net on Damien, prior to his being drafted by the Bucks:
"He has an astonishing combination of size, physical skills, length and speed…He has remarkable passing skills and ball handling abilities…He tends to switch to the PG position on offense, exploiting his ability to beat his direct defender to create for himself and his teammates…He loves to attack the basket in ISO situations, exploiting his physical skills and his speed, with a slashing style of game…He plays with energy and intensity giving an effective contribution in various aspects of the game, he’s also a good rebounder for his position…On the defensive side he puts great pressure exploiting his body and quick hands."
Um…hmmm…that sounds…familiar. That sounds exactly like Giannis! Holy cow, guys, we may have another Giannis. Inglis gives up a significant amount of height and length when compared to Giannis, but he also has quite a bit of strength and physicality on the Greek (or meek, depending on the game) Freak. That’s not where the comparison ends, though. Even their flaws seem eerily similar:
"His shooting is the biggest flaw and a point of concern, even if he has shown significant improvements since last year, especially from three point…His mechanics in particular needs several adjustments, both from a quickness and release standpoint…His game comprehension and playmaking skills are still rather raw, bad decision making leads to frequent turnovers, especially when put under pressure by his defender…At the youth level his game was based on physical domination, but with the increase in level of opponents, his effectiveness has significantly decreased…On the defensive side he has terrific potential, but he’s not consistent and he lacks the fundamentals of positioning in a structured system."
Holy bajeezus, I could swear this is describing Giannis. Obviously these are just words. We’ve seen Giannis play for a year and a half, but we’ve never seen Damien Inglis play in the NBA. The best we have for Damien are highlights from his participation in international competition. DraftExpress, as always, has a very good scouting report on him, based on that international play.
Some things I noticed in that video
- Damien is excellent at defending without fouling, thanks to his superb lateral quickness. Because he doesn’t have to gather extra momentum to chase a guy who’s blown past him, he stays under control and is able to use his devastating 7’3″ wingspan to stifle smaller opponents. This is especially valuable because he can guard three positions. Savage.
- His jump shot is…not good. I know that’s a scary proposition for Bucks fans – the thought of adding yet another guy who can’t hit a jump shot to a team already full of them but, it’s fixable. He’s a lot like MCW in that the basic form and vision are there, he just needs a bit of tweaking. Inglis did hit 38% from deep with his French team, so the potential is there.
Damien Inglis is going to be able to step onto the court next year and immediately be a defensive asset, playing with good instincts and great energy. He is, again, a lot like Giannis was in his rookie season. Inglis will look good on defense and put up some awesome highlights, but he is fairly limited on the offensive end.
He is a subpar shooter, although he has the potential to improve. He plays unselfish, can pass very well, and is excellent in transition. He does play pretty well in the low post on both ends, which is something the Bucks definitely lack at the moment.
All in all (and call me crazy if you want) I think Damien Inglis can be a poor man’s Shawn Marion. He’ll never score like prime Matrix, but you can see the similar body type and the defensive potential.
The bottom line is, Inglis will at the very least be a critical bench component for the Bucks as they look to build their core. He’s a valuable piece, and I can’t wait for him to get healthy and take the floor. It can’t come soon enough. Get well, Damien!