43. Will Joe Ingles Dunk Again?
Sep 7, 2021, 6:04 PM | Updated: 6:14 pm
Joe Ingles Dunks (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz open their season on October 20, just 43 days from today. With the clock ticking, we look at 50 things for Jazz fans to be excited about leading up to the 2021-22 NBA season. Will Joe Ingles still dunk next season? That’s the question heading into opening night.
Joe Ingles Dunk Watch
Entering his eighth season in the NBA, Ingles has 23 career dunks. That’s an average of just over three per year during his impressive run with the Jazz.
Here’s the thing, however, Ingles had just one dunk last season and is turning 34 in early October.
Our countdown of the top 50 reasons to be excited for the 2021-22 @utahjazz season. #TakeNote https://t.co/X45AS6m2de
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 8, 2021
With already less-than-elite athleticism compared to his NBA counterparts, is it fair to expect Ingles to keep dunking?
Let’s look at how many times Ingles has dunked the ball each of his seven NBA seasons so far.
2014-15: Five Dunks
Ingles had five dunks including two dunks against the Toronto Raptors on December 3, 2014, the first times he’d ever dunked in a game.
Joe Ingles first career dunk with the @UtahJazz. December 3, 2014. pic.twitter.com/2MuHHNTpOF
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) September 7, 2021
2015-16: Two Dunks
Ingles had just two dunks during his sophomore season despite playing 81 games for the team. His dunks came against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Clippers.
2016-17: Four Dunks
Ingles doubled his previous season’s total with four dunks in 2016-17. The guard dunked against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and twice against the Dallas Mavericks, though they were in different games.
2017-18: Six Dunks
Ingles went on a dunking parade in 2017-18, setting a career-high with six dunks spread over six different games.
2018-19: Three Dunks
Ingles began his slow dunking decline here recording only three dunks during his fifth season. The guard dunked once in the season opener against the Sacramento Kings and not again until he dunked twice in March.
Joe Ingles makes dunk (Donovan Mitchell assists) pic.twitter.com/Ru3eTfcDBj
— Live NBA Clips (@ClipsLive) November 12, 2019
2019-20: Two Dunks
Continuing his downward spiral, Ingles dunked just twice during the 2019-20 regular season. The guard first dunked on November against the Golden State Warriors, and again in December against Memphis.
2020-21: One Dunk
As previously mentioned, Ingles dunked just once last season in a January 31 contest on the road against the Denver Nuggets.
Joe Ingles latest dunk with the @UtahJazz. January 31, 2021. #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/77mW8enukf
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) September 7, 2021
Have We Seen The Last Ingles Dunk?
Ingles is entering the final season of his contract with the Jazz and has said that he and his wife Renae planned to look at their options after the contract concluded.
If the Ingles family decides they are ready to move back to Australia to raise their three children, the guard may have just one season, plus the team’s postseason run to bring his dunk total up to 24.
If Ingles decided to return for another season, he”ll double his opportunities to increase his dunk count.
Have we seen the last dunk of Joe Ingles NBA career? With 43 days left until opening night, that’s one storyline to watch ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season.
