Jeff Teague is not the point guard of the future for the Hawks. He may not even be the backup point guard of the future, given his mileage. The 31-year-old has played 11 seasons and logged nearly 21,000 minutes. Only eight other active point guards have been on the court that long.
A lot of us were ready to write Teague off after a slow start in January, coupled with 24-year-old Brandon Goodwin making substantial strides. I believe Goodwin has played well enough to earn a contract with the Hawks. However, it isn’t a foregone conclusion that he has surpassed Teague as the backup point guard.
It’s a small sample size, but Teague has improved dramatically in February. Check out his stats from his first seven games in January in comparison to the five games he has played this month.
| Category | January | February |
| PPG | 5.7 | 9.2 |
| TOPG | 2.2 | 1 |
| SPG | .7 | 1.6 |
| APG | 4.2 | 5.2 |
| RPG | 2.2 | 2.4 |
| FG% | 24.5% | 36.6% |
| MPG | 20.1 | 27.8 |
Luckily for Teague and Goodwin, there is room for both of them. Coach Pierce has played them beside Trae Young in addition to when Young is on the bench.
Goodwin has shown us that he has a future in Atlanta. But it’s apparent that Teague has plenty of gas left in the tank and is worth considering on a short-term deal this summer.
Having players who can handle the ball and run the offense will only add to Young’s game. It would allow him to take on more of a Steph Curry role. Running off picks and wearing down defenders would be a very nice wrinkle to throw at opposing teams.
It’s an exciting time in Atlanta, and the young core is showing a lot of promise. But let’s not discount what Teague brings to the table each night. More importantly, let’s keep that same energy we had just a few weeks ago.
(@Pat_Benson_Jr)
You must log in to post a comment.