After sending Jared Dudley to the Milwaukee Bucks in a trade deal this offseason, the Los Angeles Clippers have been looking for a reliable shooter in the wing and it appears that they have found the right man in Joe Ingles. ESPN's Marc Stein reported that the team has agreed to a one-year deal veterans minimum with the Australian Guard/Forward.
Ingles started to draw interest from the NBA during the 2012 London Olympics where he averaged 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists, including an impressive 19 point, 5 rebound, six assist performance against Team USA. The Aussie swing-man was again spectacular in this year's FIBA World Cup averaging 11 points a game and a ridiculous 69.7 per cent accuracy and did enough to impress the Clippers who were quick to give him a contract offer and nab him away from other NBA Teams who were also interrested in signing him this offseason per Herald Sun.
The Memphis Grizzlies and Philadelphia 76ers were among the teams reportedly interested in signing Ingels after his strong presence in international hoops. Ingles also played with NBA star Marc Gasol at Barcelona and impressed the Spaniard so much that Gasol personally lobbied for the Aussie to be on board with the Grizzlies in 2013. Ingles however, opted to stay one more year in Europe which in the end worked fairly well for him now that he has a deal with the Clips.
So what does Ingels signing bring to the Clippers? A capable shooter and defender according to Trisity Miller of Fan Sided:
At 6'8, Ingles adds another option at small forward-and possibly power forward-for the Clippers. A noted defender and three-point shooter (or what we like to call 3-and-D now-a-days), there's a chance Ingles could be a rotation player on opening night. Depending on how well Ingles plays in the preseason and training camp, there's a chance he could emerge as the starter, pushing Matt Barnes into a reserved role.
Joe Ingels probably wont be playing significant minutes like that of Blake Griffin and Chris Paul but if his outside shooting gets hot, he may just prove to be the kind of weapon that the Clippers need if they are to get pass the second round of the playoffs.
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