After playing out his one-year deal worth $6.5 million with the Milwaukee Bucks, Joe Ingles will enter unrestricted free agency once again this off-season.
It was an up-and-down season for Ingles, who did not debut until December due to ACL surgery. Once he made his Bucks debut, it understandably took Ingles a while to get going, but once he did, he proved to be a quality bright spot for this team as a member of the second unit. It is now time to decide if Ingles’ time with the Bucks was just a one-year thing or if the two sides want to keep this thing going. With that said, let us look at the pros and cons of the Bucks keeping Ingles.
The pros of the Milwaukee Bucks keeping Joe Ingles
One of the reasons the Ingles signing was so interesting when it happened was that the Bucks had never had a player of his archetype during this era. Ingles could be another ball-handler to alleviate pressure off of the Big 3 and orchestrate the offense. On top of that, Ingles has been a knockdown outside shooter throughout his career. Having a player with that skill set could have been a valuable addition to this bench, which is precisely what happened.
Coming off his ACL injury, Ingles had a quality season by averaging 6.9 points and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 40.9 percent from three. He proved that he had plenty left in the tank and was a sparkplug offensively for this team all season long. Retaining a player who can facilitate, score, and shoot the long ball extremely well sounds like a no-brainer for the Bucks. It’s not that simple, but Ingles checks off a lot of the boxes regarding what the Bucks like in their players.
Keeping a savvy veteran with loads of playoff experience who is well-known as a marksman and excellent facilitator would make sense for the Bucks, who need help offensively.
The cons of the Milwaukee Bucks keeping Joe Ingles
Two major things the Milwaukee Bucks need more of this off-season are youth and athleticism on this roster. They entered the season with the oldest roster in the NBA, and the group did not have enough athleticism to combat teams more often than not, especially in that gruesome first round series against the Miami Heat. Ingles has never been an athletic basketball player, and at 35, he is not going to bring much youth to the table in terms of NBA players.
Defense is also not a strong suit of Ingles’ game. It’s one of the reasons his minutes per matchup decreased by around five in the playoffs compared to the regular season. The forward can have a tough time sticking with players at times and be targeted at times. Having a player that cannot be on the floor in certain situations due to their defense is not ideal, especially for a Milwaukee team that prides itself on that side of the ball. It’s not the end all be all, but it makes it a tougher sell.
Ultimately, Ingles’ age, athleticism, and defense are the three major cons regarding his status as a Buck moving forward.
The verdict on whether or not the Milwaukee Bucks should keep Joe Ingles
There is a spot for Ingles on the Bucks moving forward. Despite those previously mentioned cons, Ingles’ ability to make things happen on the offensive end may outweigh them. The small forward is essentially a 6-foot-8 point guard who can also shoot the lights out from distance. There were a handful of times this past season where Ingles won the Bucks some games due to that offensive expertise, as the veteran showed he still had plenty left in the tank.
It would be interesting to see what Ingles could produce with a healthy off-season under his belt and not having to start the season on the sidelines due to injury. Ingles was among the best bench players in the business before the ACL injury and showed glimpses last season that he could reach that level once again. Given their bench issues over the past few years, having Ingles could help in the future as the Bucks try to build a strong second unit.
The big question is what kind of compensation Ingles may be seeking this off-season. He just had a one-year deal worth $6.5 million despite the ACL injury. Being healthy after a strong season with the Bucks, he could be seeking a raise. If Ingles is willing to take a minimum, this should be nothing short of a no-brainer. However, it just seems like he could very well want more, which could price him out of Milwaukee’s range.
It would be nice to have Ingles back in town, and he may feel the same, but the financial figures could determine whether or not it happens. While the Bucks do indeed need to get younger this off-season, keeping Ingles around would certainly not be the worst move on a team-friendly deal.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.