Joe Ingles' injury leaves the Jazz in limbo
Joe Ingles was expected to help Utah compete for a title in one way or another. Now, after his ACL tear, it feels like the Jazz have nowhere to go
First off, I want to wish a speedy recovery to Joe Ingles. Injuries suck. ACL tears suck. ACL tears on the heels of entering free agency suck 10 fold.
The Utah Jazz already weren’t considered a legitimate contender for an NBA title before this injury. They’re 4th in the Western Conference and just one game from falling to 6th. They’ve come up spectacularly short in the playoffs too many times to earn the benefit of the doubt once the postseason came around.
If they were really going to leapfrog the teams above them in the standings, break through to the Finals, and realistically fight for the title, it was going to come in one of two ways.
A fully-healthy roster clicks on every cylinder imaginable to power a magical playoff run
A trade brings in the piece or pieces to help put Utah over the top
Ingles was crucial to both of those scenarios. His numbers and overall efficiency are down from last season when he finished 2nd in the voting for 6th Man of the Year, but the Aussie has remained a crucial part of the Jazz’s nightly excellence.
Utah has eight different 5-man lineup combinations that have played at least 50 minutes together this season. Ingles is a part of the three most successful ones. He may be shooting a career-low from beyond the arc, but he’s still a quality playmaker at the forward position, and there’s something to be said for trotting out a player who’s already built great chemistry with his teammates and knows how to play to his role, even if he at times struggles within it.
There was also a possibility that Ingles would be part of a trade to help boost Utah’s title hopes. His name had certainly come up in those conversations on account of his age (34) and contract situation, where an expiring $14 million contract could be enticing to teams looking to clear cap space as early as this coming offseason.
Now with Ingles out for the remainder of this season, both options are off the table for the Jazz, adding layers of confusion to a team that already had plenty to answer for.
Wing depth was already an issue for this team seeing as how the 6’4’’ Royce O’Neal is tasked with being the go-to stopper for some of the bigger (physically) scoring threats around the league.
Utah doesn’t really have any other tradable assets, at least ones that they wouldn’t rather keep. The starters represent the pillars of this team. Beyond them, I don’t think any team is looking to acquire Jordan Clarkson, especially when he has a $14.2 million player option for the 2023-24 season. That’s really as far as things go on the player side.
In terms of draft capital, the Jazz have already sent out their 2022 and 2024 1st-round picks and don’t have any other 1st-rounders coming in, leaving the asset cupboard that much emptier (they do have a trio of 2nd-rounders coming their way over the next 5 years for whatever that’s worth).
This is a team that’s been constantly tinkering and waiting for their year. In fairness, that opportunity might’ve already occurred last season. Nevertheless, the only thing any team in their position can do is to keep on fighting.
But after this injury to a beloved member of a team that was already facing an uphill battle, it’s hard to figure out what they’re now fighting for.