When it comes to his performance, the past two months have been polar opposites for Joe Ingles as the veteran has looked to carve out a role on the Milwaukee Bucks’ bench.
In January, Ingles was terrific in his role, having averaged 7.5 points and 3.7 assists while shooting 45.8 percent on his field goals and 43.6 percent on his 3-pointers. However, just when it appeared that Ingles had gotten himself into a groove, February struck. In his nine February outings, Ingles put together averages of 4.2 points and 2.2 assists per game while hitting just 30.4 percent of his field goals and 24.3 percent of his 3-point tries. A new month means a new opportunity, and the Bucks need Ingles to wipe the slate clean and start fresh in March.
The Milwaukee Bucks need Joe Ingles to wipe the slate clean in March
There’s a reason the Bucks handed Joe Ingles a nice deal in free agency despite the veteran being set to miss time to start the season due to ACL surgery. Ingles has made a living in the NBA thanks to a knack for shooting and facilitating the basketball at an extremely high level, which are two things that the front office envisioned helping this team. In January, that was the case, as Ingles was an outstanding contributor in his role, efficiently scoring and dishing out assists. In February, that was no longer the case, as Ingles struggled mightily to find any sort of a groove whatsoever.
It is not too controversial to say that Ingles will be among Milwaukee’s biggest x-factors when it comes to their reserves. His 3-point shooting alone could be incredibly valuable, given how much the Bucks value having reliable threats on the perimeter. He might not shoot 43.6 percent on his triples consistently, but if Ingles can be somewhere above 38 percent, it would make a massive difference. As for the facilitating, Ingles’ ability to handle the ball and orchestrate the offense is valuable, as it gives Milwaukee’s other ball handlers a breather at times. If Ingles could give the Bucks three assists while cutting back on the turnovers, it would help tremendously.
Despite a month full of struggles, the Bucks will not be giving up on Ingles. He’ll continue to play over 20 minutes per game, and his teammates will certainly encourage him to keep shooting and passing with confidence. When Ingles has things clicking, he can be a big difference-maker for this team off the bench. All eyes will be on Ingles to see if he can put together a month that resembles his efforts in January or if he will have another month like February. With the Bucks entering the final stretch of the regular season, now would be a terrific time for Joe Ingles to get into a groove.
Keep an eye on Joe Ingles throughout the month of March and beyond.