Bucks’ Joe Ingles' target return date revealed

Bucks forward Joe Ingles is targeting Monday’s game in New Orleans for his season debut, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Ingles suffered an ACL tear in his left knee in January as a member of the Jazz and underwent surgery to repair the ligament in early February. After missing the rest of the 2021-22 season, the veteran signed a one-year, $6.48M contract with the Bucks over the summer while he continued his rehab process. That process has extended into the early part of the ’22-23 season.

According to Wojnarowski, there’s just one hurdle left for Ingles to clear — he’ll take part in a 5-on-5 workout on Saturday, and if he comes through that session feeling good, the plan is for him to be available for Milwaukee on Monday.

The Bucks began the season with several rotation players sidelined, including star forward Khris Middleton and swingman Pat Connaughton. With Ingles on the verge of returning, the team is nearly at full strength for the first time this season.

A 40.8% career three-point shooter who can handle the ball and has plenty of postseason experience, Ingles could emerge as a useful contributor for the Bucks, who have championship aspirations. Still, we should probably keep our expectations in check, since Ingles is 35 years old and players returning from ACL tears typically don’t immediately look like their old selves upon returning.