Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 takeaways from 2017-18 season opener

3. Jeff Teague has to prove he is an upgrade over Ricky Rubio

When the Timberwolves signed Jeff Teague during free agency it was to replace Ricky Rubio. Teague has made an All-Star appearance and is a better scorer than Rubio, but that did not translate for the Timberwolves last night.

Teague lead the team with six assists and scored 11 points, but struggled defensively at times. He also struggled to truly facilitate the ball to his talented teammates. That is something that Rubio excelled at. Teague must embrace the point guard role if the Wolves want get everyone involved. He did a decent job, but needs to focus more on that.

Teague’s most impressive play of the game came on defense with a transition block.

At the end of the game, Thibodeau went with Tyus Jones instead of Teague. It was an interesting move because the Wolves invested a lot of money in bringing Teague to Minnesota. If he truly was brought to Minnesota as an upgrade to Rubio, he should be finishing games. It is not a good sign when your starting point guard isn’t trusted to play in crunch time.