This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Joe Ingles was talking with reporters late last week when he was asked about the Jazz's small-ball lineups and if he felt comfortable going up against bigger forwards.
Just then, power forward Trevor Booker interrupted to razz his teammate.
"Man, can you hurry up?" Booker asked.
"Yeah," Ingles said to the reporter, never missing a beat as a grin spread across his face, "because they're usually like Book, and Book's soft as hell."
Maybe it's still training camp, but the Jazz's biggest jokester is in midseason form.
And with a year of NBA experience under his belt and fresh legs after taking some extra time off over the summer, Ingles has had some sharp moments away from the media scrum, too.
On Sunday night in Portland, Ingles was taking shots at the basket, rather than his teammate. He scored 16 points in an overtime loss to the Blazers by going 5 for 7 from 3-point territory.
"I felt good for preseason," he told reporters after the game. "I got more open looks tonight probably than I have in the past. Guys found me. Book had a couple of really nice screens and Raul [Neto] was having fun, I'd say, but I felt fine for preseason. It's just different when you're able to get a few more open looks."
A year ago, Ingles was just trying to earn a job in the NBA after nearly a decade playing in Australia, Spain and Israel. And when the Australian forward was cut by the Los Angeles Clippers before the start of the season, Ingles stumbled into a perfect situation in Utah. Ingles ended up playing 79 games for the Jazz, averaging 5 points and 2.3 assists.
Entering a summer of free agency, Ingles said he wanted to return to Utah and it didn't take long to get a two-year deal worth about $4.5 million done.
The harder decision was what to do with the rest of his summer.
Ingles, the second oldest player on the Jazz at age 28, had been through years of long seasons in Europe, while being a regular on the Australian national team. All those miles had started to add up, so Ingles decided to sit out the Boomers' Olympic qualifying contests this summer, content to let NBA talents Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova punch their ticket to Rio.
"It sucks, to be honest," Ingles said. "I'm not going to say it was like the hardest decision of my life, but it was something that weighed on me for a little bit. I did want to play. I thought about maybe giving them a call when I got home and maybe playing, but it wasn't the right thing to do."
Instead, Ingles used the summer to rest and relaxed. He married his fiancée, Australian netball star Renae Hallinan, and honeymooned in Fiji. He steered clear of the court for a while.
The break from routine, he said, has left him rested and relaxed and ready for his second NBA season. Now the guy they call Slo-Mo Joe is leading the Jazz in 3-point shooting during the preseason, knocking down 45 percent of his attempts from distance, and seems to have a little extra spring in his step.
"The biggest thing for me was getting away from it for a little bit," Ingles said. "I feel really good. I feel good out on the court."
He certainly looked it on Sunday night.
In the third quarter, Ingles came around screens on back-to-back plays to knock down 3-point buckets.
The next trip down, he just had to try out his luck.
And even though he missed, out came that grin again.
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