With trade rumors dying down for the Minnesota Timberwolves, people are starting to accept that Jeff Teague will be the starting point guard next season.
Jeff Teague joined the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2017 NBA free agency period. The signing was met with mixed reactions from fans and analysts across the NBA, largely in part to the Wolves trading Ricky Rubio to make room for an upgrade at the position.
The favorite available upgrade at the time was Kyle Lowry.
Instead of Lowry, the Wolves went with a less flashy option in Jeff Teague. While Lowry is clearly a better player then Teague, that does not mean the Wolves made the wrong choice.
Teague was a better value
The first reason is that Teague was less expensive than Lowry. The Timberwolves signed Jeff Teague to a three-year, $57 million contract, as reported by The Vertical’s Shams Charania. Kyle Lowry, on the other hand, signed a three-year, $100 million deal with the Toronto Raptors, as reported by Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders.
Teague signed for almost half the amount of Lowry. Financially, this was a much smarter move. In addition to getting Teague for $19 million per year, the Wolves added Taj Gibson for $14 million per yer and Jamal Crawford for about $4.5 million per year. That is a total of $37.5 million per year to upgrade their starting lineup and bench, as opposed to signing just Kyle Lowry at $33.3 million per year.
Based on his stats the last few years, Jeff Teague brings a lot more to the table than just an affordable contract.
Is Teague an offensive upgrade?
Jeff Teague gets it done on the offensive end of the floor. This a big upgrade to Ricky Rubio in regards to scoring. Rubio was a better passer, averaging 9.1 assists per game last season, but Teague was not far behind him with 7.8 assists per game. Furthermore, he was ahead of Lowry, who averaged 7.0 assists per game last season.
Scoring the basketball is where Teague is underrated. He finished 53rd in points per game last season with 15.8. That is a clear upgrade over Rubio’s 11.1 points per game. Kyle Lowry would have been an even bigger scoring upgrade, averaging 22.4 points per game last season, but the Wolves already have enough scorers to feed in Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Jimmy Butler.
Teague is a better fit for the Minnesota Timberwolves because he is an upgrade from Rubio and does not need to score as much as a player like Lowry or Kyrie Irving. When the Wolves need buckets, he is able to provide them efficiently. Additionally, Teague’s athleticism is underrated. For a shorter point guard, he has the ability to finish a play above the rim.
If the Wolves’ Big Three is ever cold, Teague has the ability to take over a game offensively. In the video below, he dropped 32 points and eight assists.
Most of his shots were in rhythm despite being on fire that game.
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Jeff Teague was a good signing by the Minnesota Timberwolves because of his financial value and offensive ability. As the next season progresses, he will grow on fans as he plays his role as the sidekick to the dynamic trio of Butler, Towns and Wiggins.