Atlanta Hawks: Jeff Teague Grabbing The Spotlight
By Adam McGee
The Atlanta Hawks seem to be on an upsurge recently, and it’s fair to say that they’ve got Jeff Teague to thank for his recent contribution. The Hawks point guard has long shown flashes of brilliance since he was drafted by Atlanta back in 2009, but at last it seems possible that he’s bringing a level of consistency to the table.
The 26-year-old has always had the talent to be a dominant NBA point guard, instead his problem has been more of a mental one.
With his incredible speed and slick handle, Teague excels at blowing past his defenders and penetrating into the paint, yet it’s been his willingness to do so, or indeed lack of willingness, that has let him down throughout his career.
In the past, there have been plenty of nights where Teague has almost refused to attack, deferring to his teammates even when the matchup was clearly built to his advantage. Then every now and then, more often than not in the Playoffs, Teague would come out in attack mode and look like a completely different player.
It’s been a puzzle for Atlanta’s coaching staff, and their fans on multiple occasions. For Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer, Teague has been one of his priorities since arriving in Atlanta too.
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Having spent so many years working alongside Tony Parker, there’s perhaps no better man to help him work on running a pick and roll, or finding penetration to the basket.
The early indicators from this season look to be showing that everyone’s hard work, perseverance and patience with the former Wake Forest man has paid off.
Even with Paul Millsap playing terrific and Al Horford back on the court, Atlanta have felt like Jeff Teague’s team so far this season, and that’s not really something that could ever have been said before.
With a runaway win over the Charlotte Hornets Saturday night, the Hawks moved to 9-6 in the East, and with a friendly upcoming schedule, there seems to be genuine opportunity that they can kick on further in the next week or so.
Teague’s play is the catalyst. The 26-year-old ranks seventh in the NBA in assists at 7.2 per game, despite playing fewer minutes than anyone else in the league’s top 10. Teague is also doing work on the scoring side of the ball.
Averaging 18 points a game, tracking for a new career high, the Indianapolis native ranks ninth in scoring amongst NBA point guards also.
In terms of both his scoring and assists, his numbers improving is a byproduct of his aggression, something which he must look to maintain over the coming months. Alongside Dennis Schröder, Teague provides Atlanta with a point guard rotation that’s incredibly tough to stop.
Both Teague and Schröder, who has had a great start to the season too, are working harder than ever to get to the basket and reaping the rewards.
Between his deadeye floater, variety of athletic layups and explosive dunks, Teague has been catching the eye with his scoring in close, but his aggressive drives also allow him greater time to pick out open teammates.
Teague’s play hasn’t gone unnoticed in the wider NBA community either, as in the past week or so it has been his play illuminating the NBA.
Having first grabbed the limelight by taking off for a thunderous dunk against the Lakers, Teague followed it up a few days later with an incredible reverse layup against the New Orleans Pelicans.
What’s quickly become apparent this season is that the time is now for Jeff Teague, the only question is, this time can he maintain his form?