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Jeff Teague: How Does He Build On Last Year?

By John Buhler

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Jeff Teague made it to his first NBA All-Star Game in 2015, leading the Atlanta Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals. How does he build on last year’s strong performance?

Jeff Teague is in the upper echelon of NBA starting PGs in 2015-16. It is difficult to put Teague out of the Top 10 conversation considering how well he performed last year. Atlanta Hawks fans knew that Jeff Teague was immensely talented, but even they feel that his game has elevated to greater level they imagined under HC Mike Budenholzer in 2014-15.

-= Related: Atlanta Hawks: Best Passing Team in 2015-16? =-

Coach Bud has pushed Teague into recreating the Tony Parker superstar point guard role here in Atlanta. Jeff is shifty around the basket with his great basketball instincts and is one of the best in the NBA at pick pocketing opposing point guards. He’s a near 90% free throw shooter and could become a 40% guy from long distance. Where can he improve in 2016?

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Jeff Teague will have to prove that he’s commanded the new leadership he’s earned with the Atlanta Hawks. Yes, he’s a naturally soft-spoken guy, but he and C Al Horford need to not only lead by example on the court, but in the locker room as well. Teague and Horford are now the elder statesmen in the Atlanta Hawks organization.

Atlanta has to realize that the path to NBA Finals is exponentially easier in the East than in the Wild, Wild West. If Atlanta views itself as a perennial contender in the East, the Hawks need to at least make it to the Second Round in the Eastern Conference Playoffs in perpetuity under Coach Bud.

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    • Where Jeff Teague falls into this picture is that he will have to prove to the NBA that he’s the team’s go-to scorer down the stretch when the game is on the line in the Playoffs. We’ve seen him do it during the regular season often (ie Teague Time!), but can that become a regular occurrence in the Playoffs?

    Knowing that he’s already one of the better point guards in the NBA, I think Jeff takes charge in more crucial situations this year. It makes sense since this is a point guard driven league. I feel that another year in the system of Mike Budenholzer improves some of the finer nuances in Jeff Teague’s game, but we won’t know until we see it.

    For us to see Jeff Teague performing at his ideal level, he will have to master the intangibles of what it takes to win in the NBA. Fortunately for Teague and the Atlanta Hawks, Mike Budenholzer learned from the greatest NBA coach of the last 15 years in Gregg Popovich. Look for Jeff Teague to play his best this year when he’s going against the best point guards in the NBA.

    Next: Atlanta Hawks: Over/Under 49.5 Wins in 2015-16?

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