Stars that could push Trail Blazers over the hump: Jeff Teague
Jeff Teague doesn’t fit the criteria of a “star” in any sense of basketball’s vocabulary. But, once upon a time, he was a former Eastern Conference All-Star, captaining a 60-win Hawks team, and one that perennially produced 50-win seasons and postseason appearances.
This offseason, he’ll be among the most accomplished free agent point guards, which in and of itself, speaks volumes to how barren this year’s pool is.
Nevertheless, it remains unclear as to how the Portland Trail Blazers plan to attack their need for a floor general to spell Damian Lillard on the second unit.
As proven through this past season, second-year guard Anfernee Simons has produced much more tangible success at the shooting guard position, a spot in which he played 76 percent of his time last season.
It won’t produce results comparable to say … Philadelphia giving Allen Iverson true facilitator Eric Snow to allow him to work off-ball, and raise his offensive ceiling, but providing Simons the luxury of opportunities in both environments could be of benefit. He showed improved playmaking chops in the Lakers’ series, and perhaps that carries over into next season.
For Portland, though, it couldn’t hurt to take a chance on a capable, proven floor general for the cheap. They’ve developed a rising bench anchor in Gary Trent Jr., whose sweet shooting was pivotal in getting Portland into the postseason. But his most redeemable trait is his catch-and-shoot ability. To maximize it, a true floor general could be needed.
Teague’s statistics suggest that he’s on the decline. But among free agent point guards, only players like Derrick Rose and Lou Williams were more productive for a second unit. As a bench player last year, Teague averaged 10.2 points and 4.3 assists on 44-36-90 splits.
Defensively, his, dare I say, matador defense could certainly be problematic. And, if not careful, he sometimes falls into the habit of overdribbling.
If it were my call, I would be more at ease with Portland taking a chance on a non-former “star” like Reggie Jackson, Jevon Carter, or Gary Payton II for the cheap. But if Teague’s there, he’s low-risk enough to not rock the boat.