Atlanta Hawks: Jeff Teague looks forward to being ‘focal point’
Caught up with Jeff Teague at the Hawks’ youth basketball camp in Suwanee. As we were talking, some dude came up and expressed his dismay at the Hawks trading for Devin Harris and signing Louis Williams because he saw this as a threat to Teague’s playing time.
I smiled because the guy’s angst sounded familiar. It’s the same sentiment I hear all the time from my blog people, who tend to freak out whenever there’s a better-than-terrible guard on the roster who can play the point behind Teague.
Never mind that Teague ranked third on the team in minutes played per game last season and logged about 80 percent of the minutes at point guard, according to 82games.com. Forget that Teague remained the starter after Kirk Hinrich returned from injury last season. Set aside Danny Ferry’s statement that the Hawks “will be more of Jeff’s team than it has ever been.”
Like that dude who cornered Teague, my blog people think back to Teague’s history with Larry Drew and just know that he’s waiting to trap door Teague.
Teague does not have those same concerns.
“I was going to come in confident and ready to play,” he said. “I’m familiar with Coach Drew. I was ready. When the trade happened I saw it as an opportunity to step up and play even better. That’s what I’m going to do.”
Seriously, though, I don’t mean to dismiss my blog peoples’ concern over whether Teague will get more opportunities. You have good reasons to be a bit skeptical, not least of all the fact that Teague made another big jump in scoring efficiency last season but his usage actually decreased a bit.
Some of you blame Drew for that but, from my seat near Atlanta’s bench, I can tell you that Drew regularly barked “Go get it, Jeff!” when Josh Smith, Joe Johnson or Al Horford collected a rebound. Drew wanted the ball in Teague’s hands so the Hawks could play faster (at least until it became Joe’s show late in games).
Instead, Teague usually would stay on his side of the court and wait for the ball to come his way or make a halfhearted effort to convince his teammate to give up the rock. He’s got to demand the ball if it’s going to be his show.
“I’ve got to be more of a leader,” Teague said. “I looked to other guys last year like Joe and Marvin [Williams] and those guys. I feel like it’s my time to step up and be a leader along with Josh and Al and try to be that third guy.”
Perhaps 2012-13 will be the year when it all comes together for Teague. The organization gets behind him; Drew gives him more opportunities in the offense; Teague finally becomes more assertive, and the absence of Joe means there’s one less guy for Teague to defer to. At the very least, there should be more shots to go around.
Even Teague isn’t sure how the lineup is going to shake out, noting that the Hawks are “a lot smaller but a lot faster.”
He said he can envision Harris playing alongside him at two guard. The same goes for Louis Williams. Maybe it’s Josh at small forward with Zaza Pachulia at center (which would make for a small frontcourt off the bench unless Ferry adds another center). Or maybe it’s Kyle Korver at small forward with Harris or Anthony Morrow at shooting guard (but I still can’t shake the image of Teague shutting down Korver in the 2011 playoffs) .
Right now, the Hawks have an awfully small backcourt with three guys who like to work with the ball in their hand (though Harris did play off ball some in Utah). Teague said they can make it work.
“We all can score the basketball,” he said. “We don’t really have a big two right now. We have a lot of shooters but Joe was a big two. We are just going to have to do it all collectively with Joe and Al and [now] I feel like I can be an elite point guard.”
He’s got a long way to go to reach that level but he got better last season and there’s still room for growth.
Teague’s 3-point shooting was better until his percentages took a big dive over the final 25 games. It appeared Teague lost confidence in his 3-pointer when he started missing a few but he brushed it off.
“Everybody goes through a slump during the year,” he said. “Mine just happened to be at the end. Hopefully I can come back shooting even better and be more effective.”
Even when Teague was making 3-pointers, opponents defended him by going under screens. With that in mind, Teague said he’s focused on his mid-range J this summer, another aspect of his game that improved significantly last season.
Teague got to the basket frequently last season but didn’t finish strongly or draw a high rate of fouls when he got there.
“I can’t do anything about fouls,” he said, smiling. “Finishing on layups, that’s on me. I can go in there and dunk the basketball. I could just take it right to the rim but I shot floaters because I thought guys could come over and block it.”
Teague also will have to be sharper defensively on screen-rolls. He went through periods where he seemed to be nonchalant about fighting through screens.
That’s reflected by the 0.8 points per possession posted by opposing pick-and-roll ballhandlers, a number that ranked 117th in the league according to Synergy Sports Technology. Also notice that Teague’s opposing PER is a pedestrian 16.2 in spite of an effective field-goal percentage allowed of just 47.3–those 17.5 field goal attempts and 9.6 assists per 48 minutes stand out. A player with Teague’s physical skills can do better.
Teague said he only recently got a chance to meet with Ferry because of the GM’s busy schedule and Teague’s two-week trip to China for an NBA outreach program. Teague said Ferry’s a “smart guy” with a plan that includes Teague as a major piece.
“He told me he was looking forward to working with me and he really liked my game,” Teague said. “He didn’t know how the trade and stuff would go but he knew I was going to be a focal point.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
297 comments Add your comment
Rusty
August 2nd, 2012
6:44 pm
JT will be great if LD doesn’t try to screw him
Ken Strickland
August 2nd, 2012
6:44 pm
MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM-Why are all of my posts being blocked?
pointguardslim
August 2nd, 2012
6:50 pm
Ken you think Andrew Bynum doesn’t whine and cry… he’s a headcase. Research a bit more.
Dwight over Bynum all day.
donte080
August 2nd, 2012
6:58 pm
They both whine and cry, and neither wants to play in Atlanta. Horford doesn’t whine and cry, and seems to like it here. Why so many here want prim a-donnas centers when center is not and has never been this team’s problem is beyond dumb.
donte080
August 2nd, 2012
7:04 pm
re; Harris at this point in career is what he is….
Harris is 29. Three seasons ago he averaged 21 PPG/7 APG….Yes, JT has some upside, but not that high.
With that being said, I hope they both are in the lineup alot together at the same time. It sure would make things interesting for other teams to match-up against….
lewis
August 2nd, 2012
7:07 pm
Teague is definitely a pg. how are you doubting that. hes not traditional but hes a solid pg
sam'l
August 2nd, 2012
7:37 pm
(Sigh)
Where’s the reality people? Will you still be Hawks fans if they don’t make the playoffs? Looking at the roster, that’s a possibility.
Poor Jerf Teague still doesn’t have the heart and mind of a winner. Just my intuitive gut feeling.
Ain’t gonna be a picnic…….could really suck
Slim
August 2nd, 2012
7:43 pm
Are any real hawks fans on this blog, geesh.
honest_abe
August 2nd, 2012
7:53 pm
just please stop playing that awful commercial with jeff teague whispering into the camera. lead a team? talented? yes. leader? that would be an affirmative hell no.
honest_abe
August 2nd, 2012
7:55 pm
“losing sooner or later is still losing.” – aj
amen.
Astro Joe
August 2nd, 2012
8:05 pm
LOL @ Abe and the Teague commercial.
BIG DOG
August 2nd, 2012
8:55 pm
Im starting to like this Lou William Starting at SG along with Teague, plus with Josh starting at SF with Horford and Zaza it balance out the small backcourt.
No way do starte Lou at SG with Horford at Center and Josh at PF, this would be the dumbest move in the history of basketball, Hawks would be consider the smallest team in the NBA with no defense.
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
BIG DOG
August 2nd, 2012
8:57 pm
Teague, Lou, Josh, Horford, Zaza
Devin, Morrow, Korver, Ivan, Petro
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
BIG DOG
August 2nd, 2012
9:03 pm
I would like for the Hawks to take a chance on Andray Blatche ?
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
BIG DOG
August 2nd, 2012
9:05 pm
Teague, Lou, Josh, Horford, Zaza
Devin, Morrow, Korver, Ivan, Blatche
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
Ken Strickland
August 2nd, 2012
9:43 pm
I swear, some of you just don’t think with your brains, just you emotions and wishful thinking. Again, IT DOESN’T MATTER ONE DAMNED BIT WHETHER DWIGHT IS BETTER THAN BYNUM, OR WHETHER YOU’D PREFER HIM OVER BYNUM, HE’S DEMONSTRATED OVER AND OVER AGAIN THAT HE DOESN’T WANT TO PLAY IN ATLANTA. Can some of you get that through your think heads?
This isn’t about a choice between Bynum or Dwight, or who’s better. It’s a choice between a player we might be able to convince to sign with us(Bynum), and a player that’s made it perfectly clear, to anyone with enough sense to listen, that he definitely doesn’t want to play in Atlanta, period. Why is that so difficult for some of you to comprehend?
Remember, Dwight hasn’t been on a single team that’s won an NBA title in his 8yrs in the league, so get over the obsession. As far as Teague is concerned, he’ll be just fine. Besides, it wasn’t his responsibility to demand the ball from JJ and Josh whenever they got a rebound. It was HC LDrew’s responsibility to get them to give him the ball.
Why expect Teague to be bold enough to demand that the teams 2 most dominant, disruptive, and ball hogging players do something the HC couldn’t/wouldn’t do? Teague is really going to benefit from having a GM like Ferry, who will demand that Drew do it his way. Teague will start because he’s younger, with a whole lot more upside and potential than the 29yr old DHarris.
If Ferry didn’t want him to start, he wouldn’t have made that statement. The addition of Ferry, and the absence of JJ, will help make Teague a much better and more productive player. You can bet on one thing, if Drew doesn’t do a better job of getting Josh to do a better job of giving the ball to his PG and posting up more rather than shooting a lot of jumpers, this will be his last yr as our HC.
Ken Strickland
August 2nd, 2012
9:48 pm
ASTRO JOE-I’ve been trying all day to apologize for not being clear on my post to you. I didn’t think it was actually you, but I wasn’t clear enough on who I was referring to. I wasn’t referring to the real ASTRO JOE, but to the fake monkey that hijacked you name. I apologize for not stating it in a more discernable way.
Where's the Logic
August 2nd, 2012
10:17 pm
If D12 supposedly does not want to play in his hometown, why on God’s green Earth would anyone with any logic believe a two time Champion could be convinced to play for an Organization that has under achieved for years.
Wishful thinking
August 2nd, 2012
10:26 pm
“a player we might be able to convince to sign with us(Bynum)”
Now that’s a stretch. But dreams do come true ole wise one in his own mind.
steven a smith
August 2nd, 2012
10:44 pm
Ken Strickland
August 2nd, 2012
9:43 pm
Remember, Dwight hasn’t been on a single team that’s won an NBA title in his 8yrs in the league, so get over the obsession
Unbelievable! This is the kind of “moronic stupidity” we have to put up with on this blog! Can you hear yourself Kenny? This makes absolutely no sense at all. Clearly you do not understand Basketball. After this post i cannot take you seriously Brotha.
steven a smith
August 2nd, 2012
10:44 pm
Ken Strickland
August 2nd, 2012
9:43 pm
Remember, Dwight hasn’t been on a single team that’s won an NBA title in his 8yrs in the league, so get over the obsession
Unbelievable! This is the kind of “moronic stupidity” we have to put up with on this blog! Can you hear yourself Kenny? This makes absolutely no sense at all. Clearly you do not understand Basketball. After this post i cannot take you seriously Brotha.
2 FOR JOHN DREW
August 2nd, 2012
10:48 pm
Bill Laimbeer …. Now there’s a name, that I would love for DF to consider coaching the Hawks. As a player : intense, high IQ, productive, team player …. As a coach : intense, in your face, demands accountability from his players, won 3 WNBA championships as coach, 2 championships as a player, 4 time all-star …. That BAD BOY is a polished & mature leader who can tranform the Hawks image from nice guys to the BAD BOYS OF THE EAST. Coach Laimbeer sounds very,very good to me.
Slimjr
August 2nd, 2012
10:51 pm
Jump on the Train 2 For John Drew..
I mentioned Bill’s name months ago for coaching duties!
Thank you very much…. Your welcome..
steven a smith
August 2nd, 2012
10:51 pm
Bill Laimbeer is exactly what his name implies he is. “LAME” BEER. Bill Laimbeer, Please!
SteveW
August 2nd, 2012
10:53 pm
I may have been reading fast thru some of these blogs, but if somebody said Kyle Korver is better than Anthony Morrow – no he hasn’t been in the past.
Morrow, after a hot start last season, showed some slippage the rest of the way. His 3 pt% was down pretty good from previous seasons.
I’m hoping it was because of the compressed schedule, he being nicked up, playing on an abysmal team or something, and it’s not the fact he’s not improving his skills in the off season.
But if Morrow is the Morrow of his previous years before last season, and even thru January of last year (I think he averaged 15+ ppg then on hot shooting), then Morrow is better than Korver. Not by much, but he’s better.
steven a smith
August 2nd, 2012
10:57 pm
How about Isaiah Thomas for a coach, maybe Dennis Rodman or Rick Mahorn, Joe Dumars. Or, what about Mark Aguirre?
Ken Strickland
August 2nd, 2012
10:58 pm
WISHFUL THINKING-Certainly an appropriate name. Let me tell you what a lack of common sense looks like. It’s like a delusional fan that suggest that another fan is dreaming if he says the Hawks might be able to convince a player(Bynum), that has never said he wouldn’t play in Atlanta, to sign a contract.
While at the same time, the delusional fan doing the criticizing believes it’s perfectly logical to believe the hawks can convince a player(Howard)to sign a contract even though he’s stated emphatically that he DOES NOT want to play in Atlanta. A MIND IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE.
SteveW
August 2nd, 2012
10:58 pm
ATL finally has our own McNasty Brothers: ZaZa and Ivan!
Meanest two guys we’ve had in the post that I can remember.
Throw in Stevenson, and we are a tough team.
BG – I don’t think I’m selling Lou short – he’s really, really good – I’m just trying to be realistic.
But I do think some guys on here are selling Morrow short. If he’s working on his game at all – he’s an ok SG in the NBA.
Like, he’s way better than Jodie Meeks. He’s a step up from Jodie, who I like because he’s a local guy and all.
steven a smith
August 2nd, 2012
10:59 pm
If we had Dennis “The Worm” Rodman as a coach, maybe he could TEACH Horford how to block shots and rebound!!!
Dreamer
August 2nd, 2012
11:05 pm
The ole man can dream too? Leave that ole mind alone. Let him be wise in his own mind.
Dreamer
August 2nd, 2012
11:06 pm
He has been cheering for this bunch for how long? Leave him be.
2 FOR JOHN DREW
August 2nd, 2012
11:18 pm
Damn right Slimjr …. I’ll jump on that train any day, I sometimes feel the players hear LD but don’t listen to him. But OMG, you will listen to Laimbeer … For starters he’s 6′ 11 , he says what he means & he means what he says. And he has championship pedigree eeking out of his pores. One thing about players ( like JSmoove ) you can tell if they respect a coach or not. They can say all the cliches to the media & whoever, but you can tell. And I guaranteeeeeeeee you the Hawks players don’t respect LD nowhere remote close to the way they would Coah Laimbeer, even from day one …. I’m 100% w/ you Slimjr ….. If DF is really thinking outside the box …. Let’s really become contenders w/ COACH BILL LAIMBEER !!!!!!
soullrenaissance
August 2nd, 2012
11:19 pm
I thought Larry “lame duck” Drew felt our Hawks were at their best when Josh Smith and Al Horford snagged rebounds and ran the fast break with the ball. Now we are hearing from MC that LD was prodding for Teague to run the show. This is another exhibit in an OVERWHELMINGLY strong case to can this bum. He is not a ‘leader’ in any sense of the word and his roles for each player are not clearly defined.
Yoop
August 2nd, 2012
11:19 pm
Translation for PEDRO EL GITANO:
I matter little that was passed through a Teague.Devin Harris is way better than him, and Lou Williams can play shooting guard, something that Teague can not do, but why not be a pure point (which is not) but because not know how to shoot immediately after receiving, he has to throw first and then decide the jugada.En short, is a limited basis on a computer that no longer necesita.También I would note that this year is more exciting than the last 4, we to enjoy a lot because these kids have to earn the respect of his teammates every game, and no one who undeservedly take key shots (as with the infamous Joe Johnson). I think we’ll do very well, better than many wait, you just have to sign a forward and a rebounder and let things flow.
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
August 2nd, 2012
11:25 pm
Blatche > Benson+Petro+Jordan Williams
Sautee
August 2nd, 2012
11:27 pm
“If we had Dennis “The Worm” Rodman as a coach, maybe he could TEACH Horford how to block shots and rebound!!!” – steven a smith
Rebound? Let’s be real here for a minute. In Horford’s last full year (2010-11) he was THIRD among centers in double-doubles. How do you do THAT if you are a poor rebounder?
I realize you have an anti-Horford bias, but at least make your claims in the realm of belief. The one thing that almost everyone agrees that he does well is rebound.
SteveW
August 2nd, 2012
11:30 pm
Anthony Morrow was 15th among all SG’s in the NBA in scoring last season – and that in only 26.4 mpg.
Paul George, who everybody is rightfully high on – averaged 12.1 ppg in more minutes.(29.7 mpg)
Morrow averaged more ppg than Gordon Heyward (11.8), who also played more minutes than Morrow (30.4).
Morrow outscored Courtney Lee while playing significantly less minutes.
Morrow outscored JJ Redick playing less minutes than Reddick
Same with Belinelli
He outscored Vince Carter, Randy Foye, Tony Allen, and Brandon Rush – either playing = minutes, or slightly more than them.
He outscored Evan Turner, Landry Fields, and Jodie Meeks, with Fields playing more minutes per game, Turner the same, and Meeks slightly less (1.5 mpg).
I know there’s alot more to BB than scoring.
I’m just saying, if Morrow hadn’t of had a late season swoon, he would have outscored O J Mayo (12.6 ppg), Klay Thompson (12.5) and Paul George (12.1).
And 1 other thing about Lou and Morrow – they don’t turn the ball over at all. Both averaged 1.1 turnovers a game, playing 26.4 mpg.
All I’m saying is Morrow is ok – he’s not a stiff – maybe they started giving his minutes to Marshon Brooks or something, hoping to develop the future or get trade value for him in a D12 deal, I dunno.
Morrow may surprise some folks on this blog in the upcoming season.
SteveW
August 2nd, 2012
11:33 pm
Morrow also averaged about as many steals per game .74 as JJ did .8 in far fewer minutes.
He’s not a stiff.
Just saw the total per game rebounding leader for the playoffs was? Josh Smith at 13.6 per game.
Nobody else was within 2 rebounds per game of him.
On a bum knee.
And ya’ll question this guy? No wonder he wanted leave
SteveW
August 2nd, 2012
11:44 pm
Lou had more steals per game than JJ in way less minutes.
Lou had more steals per game than Kirk Hinrich, in roughly 30 seconds more playing time per game.
Morrow had roughly the same number of steals as Kirk, in slightly more minutes (35 seconds per game more). I think Morrow had .06 fewer steals per game.
These guys are not slouches. we got. Yes we lost JJ. But we got some players also.
Lou and Morrow had roughly the same number of steals per game that Marvin had also, in about the same minutes.
Way deeper team than people think also.
SteveW
August 2nd, 2012
11:57 pm
Al Horford rebounding rank:
‘10-11 season – 11th in the NBA – 5th among Centers
‘09-10 season – 10th in the NBA – 4th among Centers
‘08-09 season – 9th in the NBA – 5th among Centers
‘07-08 (rookie) season – 13th in the NBA – 10th among Centers
Pretty consistent rebounder it looks like to me – Always between 9.3 and 9.9 per game.
soullrenaissance
August 2nd, 2012
11:58 pm
Thanks for these stats SteveW – nothing wrong with a little optimism for the upcoming season. One in which tenacity and ferocious hustle could lead to many transition buckets and some surprise wins along the way.
Melvin
August 3rd, 2012
12:04 am
Clyde,
I’m on the Blatche bandwagon as well. He probably could be had at the vet min considering Wizards will pay him his full contract ( I think b/c he cleared waivers). He’s a 6-11 guy that can get you 15pts and 10rebs. I think a change of scenery will do him some good. If it doesn’t work out then the Hawks can send him packing and his salary wouldn’t hurt the cap at all (considering he sign vet min or no more than 2mil).
SteveW
August 3rd, 2012
12:24 am
Al’s playoff rebouding average – 8.7 per game
Pretty consistent.
pointguardslim
August 3rd, 2012
12:25 am
Blatche is a cancer and he’d come here looking for his next big contract. No thank you.
pointguardslim
August 3rd, 2012
12:29 am
well a diff perspective
Blatche can put some size and agility on KG and maybe he’ll keep his head on straight and we can actually reap the benefits of him looking for a new contract. I like it.
BravesFan79
August 3rd, 2012
12:52 am
Glad to see that others are also seeing that Morrow is a starting caliber SG in this league.
Dreamer
August 3rd, 2012
12:54 am
To be condescending does not favor you. Wrap your intellect around that.
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
August 3rd, 2012
12:55 am
Teague
Devin Harris
Smoove
Horford
Blatche
I like this lineup
Dreamer
August 3rd, 2012
12:56 am
MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM-Why are all of my posts being blocked? -KS-
A sign perhaps
Ra'mon
August 3rd, 2012
2:07 am
Clyde, Blatche for the vet minimum would be a good gamble and rental.