Atlanta Hawks: Can Jeff Teague Find Consistency?

By Adam McGee | Oct 12, 2014

Sep 29, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) talks to members of the media during the Atlanta Hawks media day at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

It’s that time of year again, folks. That time where we talk about Jeff Teague in terms of whether he’s going to break out, or if he can be an All-Star. Teague is undeniably talented, and has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his five year NBA career, but can he put it together more consistently?

Is it possible for him to become one of the league’s elite point guards?

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After a great start to last season, the 26-year-old suffered a significant drop off in form close to Christmas, not helped by the Hawks significant injury woes. Come April though, that had changed. The player known to basketball fans as “playoff Teague” was there for everyone to see.

Unlike many of peers, Teague has always thrived in the high pressure environment of the postseason. It was in the 2011 playoffs against the Chicago Bulls that Teague really emerged to take the starting point guard spot in Atlanta, and he has never looked back since.

From a player who looked a shell of himself in parts of last season, Teague gave the No. 1-seeded Indiana Pacers fits and starts in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs last summer. Teague was aggressive like he’s rarely been seen before, and he was leading by example, like all floor generals should. The Pacers had so much trouble with the former Wake Forest man that they had to switch Paul George over to try and contain his explosiveness.

George is an elite defender, and did all that he could to stop the Hawks’ point guard, but that didn’t stop Teague from having his moments. Teague’s off balance three-pointer late in Game Three, and the casual shrug of the shoulders that followed, was one of the most memorable moments of the playoffs, and perhaps the most iconic of Teague’s career to date.

The big question though is whether “playoff Teague” is sustainable?

If the Hawks can get a run of good health this season, they will surprise a lot of people with their play, yet if Teague can be a consistent force it would push them to another level again.

Teague has continued to improve with every season throughout his NBA career, and there’s no reason to believe that can’t happen again. Last year he set his career high in points with 16.5 a game, and although his assists dropped down from the season below and his career high of 7.2 to 6.7, there was good reason for that too. Before Al Horford, Atlanta’s primary option, went down injured Teague was averaging 8.2 assists, and generating some All-Star buzz.

With Horford back healthy, Paul Millsap better than ever, and the league’s best sharpshooter Kyle Korver alongside them, it seems perfectly feasible for Teague to be aiming for a season in which he averages more than eight assists a night.

An area of Teague’s game where he desperately needs to improve and find consistency is his three-point shooting. He averaged 32.9 percent from long-range last season, fighting back from an average of only 25.6 before the All-Star break.

Another area of Teague’s game which needed improvement was his focus, but there are signs that this is already happening. Teague has released a series of behind-the-scenes videos detailing his work this summer, titled “The Teague Chronicles,” and in those videos we see a man who is determined to keep improving. Even in the way Teague speaks now, there’s a greater maturity, and he seems more comfortable within himself than he perhaps did in his early NBA years.

For Teague to really drive the Hawks on, or even become an All-Star, he doesn’t need to make big strides forward. Instead, it’s all about taking the best of the play he has already shown as a pro, and finding a method for repetition.

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