While it wasn’t the biggest free agency move of the offseason for the Boston Celtics, the signing of former Atlanta Hawks floor general Jeff Teague may yet prove to be a sneaky good get, depending on which version of the veteran point guard the Celtics see take the floor for them in 2020-21.
We say “which version” because Teague was almost two different players depending on where he played.
With the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first half of the season, he put up 13.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game while shooting 37.9% from deep on 2.6 attempts per game.
Report: Celtics to sign free agent point guard Jeff Teague to 1-year deal https://t.co/EPEnwz4WwT
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) November 22, 2020
In Atlanta during the final 25 games of his season, he scored just 7.7 points, 2.2 boards and 4 assists per game while shooting a rough 33.3% from beyond the arc.
While the latter player is still useful to Boston, they are clearly hoping Teague being in a place he elected to come to will provide them something closer to the former version of the Wake Forest product.
As a Brad Wanamaker replacement, we’ll see more playmaking than scoring from Teague than the former Pitt Panther, who was a steady source of second-unit offense but offered little else.
In theory, you gain roughly double the assists without losing much scoring, though such comparisons usually fail to fully account for changed contexts over time, like other parts of the team changing.
That’s especially relevant given Teague may see increased minutes and likely even some starts early in the season as the team tries to ramp up starting point guard Kemba Walker’s responsibilities while they strengthen his knee.
As for how the veteran might be used with the team, our friends over at The Playgrounder have put together the video embedded above — be sure to give it a watch for a detailed analysis on how the Celtics might put Teague to work.
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