Chris Finch perfectly explained what makes Joe Ingles so valuable

Turning 38 years old on October 2, Joe Ingles is clearly approaching the end of his NBA playing career. After barely seeing any action for the Timberwolves last season, it may have surprised some to see how quickly they re-signed Ingles once free agency kicked off in the offseason. Chris Finch spoke on how much they value Ingles’ leadership, though, as he is getting set for his 12th NBA season.

Chris Finch speak on Joe Ingles' value to Timberwolves

Finch recently interviewed with Britt Robson of MinnPost. They discussed a multitude of Wolves-related topics, and the little-used Ingles was also brought up. The Timberwolves head coach was asked about the value that Ingles provides to the team, and Finch had a glowing review.

"I think he has a couple of things going for him, Finch said. First of all he is super-smart, one of those high-IQ guys. He has a great relationship with Rudy in that he can talk to Rudy in a way that some players can’t talk to Rudy. He can be demanding of Rudy and understanding of Rudy. He is helpful with Anthony (Edwards); just seeing situations and talking to him in real time, during games. Mike (Conley) has been great in that role, but just to have another person alongside. He has such a high emotional IQ that he can actually enflame or disarm situations, according to what is needed. And he is not afraid to be truthful. He cuts right to it. Sometimes alarmingly so, but that’s a good point — he catches people’s attention."

Minnesota certainly isn’t the only team that rosters a veteran to provide leadership as an end-of-bench piece despite the fact that they will rarely play. The Heat did it for many years with Udonis Haslem. The Knicks did it to end last season with P.J. Tucker.

Ingles clearly became a beloved member of the team last season despite rarely being utilized. That became even more evident on March 21, when Chris Finch inserted him into the starting lineup. Finch knew that Ingles’ autistic son, Jacob, would be in attendance. 

As Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic wrote, an eruption was heard from the Timberwolves locker room when they found out that Ingles would be starting. That goes to show how beloved Ingles became by his teammates, even though it was just his first year with Minnesota.

Ingles was an impactful player earlier in his career with the Jazz

For a long while, Ingles was an integral piece on Jazz teams that often reached the playoffs. He averaged at least 24 minutes per contest for six straight seasons spanning from 2016-17 until 2021-22. As mentioned by Finch, Ingles can talk to Rudy Gobert like other teammates perhaps can't, and that is probably because they were together in Utah for eight seasons.

Receiving a lot of playing time certainly wasn’t the case for the 6-foot-8 forward in 2024-25, his first year with Minnesota. Ingles appeared in just 19 games for a total of 114 minutes. He did not make an appearance in the postseason. 

Still, don’t assume the Timberwolves wasted a roster spot on a past-his-prime Ingles. Finch and his teammates are well aware of the value he provides, which is why he was swiftly re-signed.