Joe Ingles has had a much-needed stellar start to March for the Bucks

The month of February was not kind to Joe Ingles, as the veteran could not find any semblance of a groove with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Despite the Bucks going undefeated in the month, it was certainly a rough stretch of matchups for him. He averaged 4.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 0.6 steals while shooting 30.4 percent from the floor and 24.3 percent from three. The veteran needed to put February behind him and come out firing in March, which is just what he has done, to his credit.

Joe Ingles has had a much-needed stellar start to March for the Bucks

In six games this month, Ingles has averaged 11.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and a steal while shooting 61.5 percent from the floor and 60 percent from three. Ingles’ confidence was not the issue last month, as his shot attempts and minutes are similar to this month; he has just been cashing in far more often than he was throughout February. With key rotational players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday missing time, Joe Ingles has stepped up mightily.

Ingles had his best showing of this stretch in Milwaukee’s last game, a 125-116 overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors on March 11. The veteran forward scored 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting, all of which were 3-pointers. The vet also tallied seven assists, five rebounds, and two steals in 32 minutes, which was a new season-high. The Bucks had issues elsewhere, but Ingles was not one of them with a terrific stat sheet stuffing performance.

This stretch has only solidified the idea that Ingles can be a potential x-factor for the Bucks when he is firing on all cylinders. His long-range shooting can be lethal, and his ability to be a secondary playmaker on the floor will help alleviate pressure off of Antetokounmpo, Holiday, and others on a regular basis. The Bucks truly have never had a player with Ingles’ skillset and build during the new era since Coach Mike Budenholzer took over. Budenholzer has obviously taken note of this, as the veteran forward continues to get crucial minutes for this veteran-oriented Milwaukee team.

Hopefully Joe Ingles can continue to give the Milwaukee Bucks a major spark moving forward.