“How was this old a** dude killing me in practice like this?!”: Donovan Mitchell shares his first experience with Joe Ingles following unfortunate ACL tear

Donovan Mitchell says that he was surprised at the fact that Joe Ingles, an old a** dude, was killing him in practice in his rookie year. 

Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz have been spiraling out of control these past few weeks. Though they are still in the number 4 spots in the top-heavy Western Conference, they have lost 8 of their last 10 games and are currently on a 5 game losing streak. To cap off these recent struggles, Joe Ingles has been confirmed to have torn his left ACL. 

The Jazz swingman, in a bout against the Minnesota Timberwolves last night, was driving into the paint from the left wing and immediately fell to the ground upon gaining a bit of penetration. It was later confirmed following an MRI that Ingles had indeed torn his ACL and had no structural damage to the rest of his left knee.

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Rudy Gay stood up for Ingles and said, “It’s not even about the basketball. Just having him in the locker room is good for us. He’s our guy.” 

There was chatter amongst the league prior to this injury about perhaps trading Joe Ingles at the trade deadline. This was would be highly unlikely now and also due to the fact that he’s the Utah Jazz’s ultimate glue guy. 

Donovan Mitchell on Joe Ingles kicking his a** at practice. 

Donovan Mitchell came into the league as a lottery pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and immediately established himself as a premier guard in the Western Conference. However, even his young legs and quickness couldn’t help him against Jingling Joe.

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“The moment I came into training camp my rookie year thinking he was just an old dude and he kicked my ass and I was thinking how the hell this old ass dude is killin me like this,” said Spida. 

The moment I came into training camp my rookie year thinking he was just an old dude and he kicked my ass and I was thinking how the hell this old ass dude is killin me like this😂

— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) January 31, 2022

Mitchell’s rookie season was one of Ingles’s best as he averaged 11 points on 44% shooting from beyond the arc. He regressed a bit this season as he’s been knocking down 1.7 threes on 5 attempts a night but having him in that locker room seems to keep the group intact and on course.