Joe Ingles credited with helping Utah Jazz accept star rookie’s emergence

BOOMERS star Joe Ingles has been credited with helping Utah’s veteran cast accept the emergence of NBA Rookie of the Year finalist Donovan Mitchell, Jazz brass praising his Aussie upbringing and team-first mentality.

THE growing brotherhood between Joe Ingles and Utah’s boom Rookie of the Year finalist Donovan Mitchell is a testament to the star Boomer’s Aussie upbringing, a Jazz executive says.

Ingles, 30, immediately hit it off with the 21-year-old rookie and Utah’s executive director, basketball operations and global scouting Richard Smith says that helped fellow Jazz veterans accept Mitchell’s meteoric emergence.

‘I THOUGHT I WAS GONE’: JOE INGLES ON HIS REMARKABLE RISE

Aussie Joe Ingles and young Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell have forged a strong bond on and off the court. Picture: AAP

“Donovan has such a great presence about him. A lot of times, teams might resent a rookie coming in and taking a lot of the attention and the accolades, but his teammates loved him and you could tell it was all genuine,” Smith told the Herald Sun.

“A lot of that was led by guys like Joe who understood that he (Mitchell) was a good teammate and that what he was doing was trying to be the best he could for the sake of the team.

#NationalBestFriendsDay pic.twitter.com/0TCdY7q4v8

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) 8 June 2018

“Joe’s background with being raised in the Aussie system of playing for the team first … (he) quickly recognised that Donovan was becoming a key member of our team.”

You could make a case for Ingles and Mitchell being Utah’s version of the NBA champion Golden State Warriors’ Splash Brothers in Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.

Mitchell broke the rookie record with 187 makes from the outside, while Ingles’ 204 set a franchise mark as the pair sparked the Jazz’s recovery from a disastrous start, spearheading an unlikely march to the playoffs.

It’s actually funny cuz in every picture he’s telling me how he can’t stand me but hey it be like that sometimes 🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️ @Joeingles7 https://t.co/dl2kjAhzgU

— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) 8 June 2018

I tell you everyday I don’t like you https://t.co/ZAOFKaZ1DR

— Joe Ingles (@Joeingles7) 11 June 2018

The pair loves to engage in playful banter over Twitter and on the court, Ingles was often seen with an arm around the youngster, providing words of wisdom.

“They’ve become very good friends. It’s all natural, it’s all organic, there’s nothing contrived about it,” Smith said.

“I think they genuinely care for each other as teammates, as guys off the floor and that just permeates throughout our team and really throughout our organisation.”

Friends/Family: "BRUH! Where'd you get that wallpaper?!!" (probably)

You: 😏 (definitely) #WallpaperWednesday pic.twitter.com/Kf9x9Gb3wG

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) 13 June 2018

Mitchell, who led all rookies with 20.5 points per game, is locked in a battle with Philadelphia’s Aussie star Ben Simmons and dynamic Boston Celtics Jayson Tatum for ROY honours.

The winner will be announced on Tuesday, June 26, from 11am AEST (watch on ESPN) at the NBA Awards ceremony in Santa Monica, California.

Big brother Joe with some sage words for the rook. Picture: Getty Images/AFP