In the previous Jazz game against the Timberwolves, Ingles fell to the ground in a breakthrough and was then helped away by the staff. In the post-match inspection report, it was said that Ingles had torn the anterior cruciate ligament, and the season was reimbursed, ending all subsequent matches.
This is a forward from Australia who briefly appeared in the Los Angeles Clippers' training camp before actually entering the league, came to the Utah Jazz after being cut by the former, and has been with the Utah Jazz for eight seasons until now.
As a role player who was once on the brink of rotation, Ingles has stepped step by step to the position of the top three of the top teams, and in this position, he has also performed extremely well, in last season's best sixth-man selection list, Ingles only ranked second, and in front of him is his teammate Jordan Clarkson.
Considering that he has a four-year, $52 million contract on his body, he's poised to be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Originally, according to his current performance, he would most likely remain with Sir Utah in the future. But now with his season being reimbursed, both himself and the team management should think about their next.
First of all, let's consider the Utah Jazz's team situation, they have not got too many desired results in the rookies in recent years, except after winning Mitchell in the 2017 draft, they have not had any young players in their lineup that can be expected. This situation is indeed a little worrying for Sir Utah's subsequent rotation.
Of course, this result is not due to the team's lack of action, on the contrary, they have paid more attention to young players after tasting Mitchell's sweetness. After that, they got a total of nine young players in the draft, but all of these players added up to very little playing time, and the best performance of them may be Grayson Allen, but he has also been sent out by the team as a bargaining chip for Mike Conley.
And we look back at the Utah Jazz's most promising 2020 draft, when management picked up center Azubuik with the 27th pick, missing out on mike Daniels and Desmond Bain.
In the second round of the show, they won Elijah Hughes at the front line, but as of now, Hughes's playing time on the field for the team is almost negligible. On the other hand, Azubuik, although he is more valued by the team than Hughes in terms of playing time, but due to the impact of injuries, his development potential is far from meeting the team's expectations.
On the defensive line, the choice of the Utah Jazz is Trent Forrest, as a two-way contract lost draft player, he just entered the team's rotation list last month, and from the performance on the court, the young Forrester can still bring them some help on the defensive end of the team and the mid-range position, he has handed over a shooting percentage of 56.8% this season, although from the data table, his personal performance is still a bit thin, but considering the situation of Ingles, He should be an important part of the subsequent replacement.
Considering the help that Ingles brought in the forward position, it would not be enough for the Utah Jazz to just choose Forrester, and after that, Daniel House should be another candidate.
He was still at the Houston Rockets two months ago, and after being cut by the former, the Jazz gave him a short 10-day contract. Now, the team's choice seems to be somewhat prophetic, they were already plagued by injuries before losing Ingles, and the rotation problems faced by the Jazz in the follow-up will only be more serious.
Although House is currently restricted by health and safety regulations from playing, in the case of the Jazz, they should give him a full contract after the subsequent contract expires.
The Utah Jazz have just cut Fitez on the front line, and the team still has a two-way contract vacancy, for the depth of their squad, their most appropriate approach at present should be to find a quality outside player.
Of course, these ideas are only from our personal point of view, and the final result is still to wait for the team to implement.
After discussing the possibilities for Sir Utah's follow-up, let's look at the impact of Ingles' injury on Sir Utah.
As things stand, it's not easy for the Utah Jazz to find another player who can completely replace Ingles, and in the process of finding, even if they can't try to gain the team's advantage in the record, they have to avoid their own decline in the subsequent playoffs.
And during this preparation time, they had better find a solution to the team's defensive problems as soon as possible, to avoid the tragic situation in which they were once again eliminated from the playoffs due to a defensive collapse.
We look at the team's previous playoff experience and defensive performance, they were eliminated by the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs in 19 seasons, in large part because the team focused too much on defense and ignored the scoring on the offensive end.
In the follow-up, the Utah Jazz also made certain adjustments, they began to deliberately amplify Rudy Gobert's defensive advantage in the inner box, while focusing on the quality of the team's outside defense, in order to cover up their shortcomings in the offensive end.
Such a tweak has allowed the Utah Jazz to perform very well in the regular season in recent seasons, but judging from the previous playoff results, their approach has completely exposed Gobert to the opponent's small guard, which has greatly weakened his ability to protect the basket in the box.
After being eliminated by the Clippers in the previous playoffs, many of the league's top teams have begun to find ways to deal with the Utah Jazz defense. Judging from the schedule of the regular season this season, the Utah Jazz still have not been able to achieve any victory when facing the suns, warriors and other strong teams in the forefront of the West.
These examples are enough to illustrate the dilemma that the Utah Jazz have shown against teams whose primary offensive means is shooting, and judging by the current playoff rankings, these teams are still very likely to be potential opponents for the Jazz in the playoffs, and if they don't address these issues before entering the playoffs, it is almost impossible for the Utah Jazz to go further this season.
From the current situation of the team, after Ingles' injury, their primary goal is to find a striker with a high level of rotation, but considering the salary situation on the player list, it is almost impossible for them to give a suitable match.
And if we think about these things a week ago, then given the expiring player contract, Ingles, 34, would be the most suitable deal chip for the team, but now with his season reimbursement, the Jazz's original trade plan can almost draw a stop.
The above is the impact of Ingles's injury on the team, and for himself, the injury undoubtedly casts a shadow on his future prospects.
Considering his 34-year-old age, the follow-up offseason could well be his chance to sign his last big contract if he wasn't injured, but now the advent of injuries has directly snuffed out that possibility.
From the point of view of injury, the recovery time of the anterior cruciate ligament will be about a year, which means that by the time Ingles returns to the field, it will almost be the end of the 2023 season.
And if considered in the most reasonable case, Ingles can see himself as the last option for any team that can sign, and the team will take him out of it without sacrificing any young players and draft picks.
And from our personal point of view, it is still Sir Utah who is most likely to actually implement such an approach.
Of course, if Ingles wants to prove himself with a short-term contract for a smaller amount, in search of a follow-up big contract. Then for him, staying in Utah Jazz would be a more suitable choice. They will presumably also retain Ingles' bird rights in a bid to win him in the 2023 offseason at a better price.
As a reference example, Oladipo has done this before, and when he reached a contract extension with the Heat, he also chose a strategy similar to this to fight for subsequent contracts.
Compared with Oladipo, Ingles' injury is far less serious, he does not have to use a basic salary contract to limit himself, but if he chooses a lower contract in the follow-up, this will help the team to avoid the pressure of the luxury tax red line in the follow-up, and the team also has enough space to assess the possibility of Ingles in the follow-up.
That was enough to impress Jazz Utah as he chose to keep him in the team after he was injured.