Hawks' Joe Johnson tells Jeff Teague it's his time

By Michael Cunningham

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Hawks coach Larry Drew and his assistants have pushed point guard Jeff Teague to shed his reserved nature and subservient role on the team to become a floor leader.

Easy for them to say.

They aren't being asked to direct veteran teammates for a squad still trying to prove it deserves to be considered among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. They don't share the floor and the ball with Joe Johnson, a four-time All-Star who for a while now has been the focus for the Hawks.

But then something significant happened recently on the Hawks' practice court during informal pickup games: Johnson also told Teague to take the reins.

“‘Play your game. Don’t just defer to me a lot,’” Teague said Johnson told him. “When he said that, that helped me a lot. I’m going to be a lot more aggressive.”

With training camp set to open Monday with media day at Philips Arena, Teague's development is key to Drew's plans in his first season as a head coach.

Drew wants the Hawks to play faster to take advantage of the team's athletic ability and break players out of their isolation-heavy habits in the half court. Teague probably is the fastest Hawks player, but that won't matter as much if he's always giving up the ball.

Drew also plans for the Hawks to play more straight-up, man-to-man defense after predecessor Mike Woodson had them switching on most screens. Teague's quickness makes him the Hawks guard best able to adhere to the principle of keeping his man in front of him.

So Drew's offensive and defensive goals would seem to be more attainable if Teague plays significantly more than the 10.1 minutes per game he logged in 2009-10. That's why Johnson and the other Hawks are prodding Teague to be assertive.

“That’s his next step,” Johnson said. “When he is out on the court, he has to be the leader. He is the guy who makes us run as a team. When he gets in the game, he has to be aggressive.”

Doing so will be a transition for Teague, the Hawks' first-round draft pick in 2009. He was the team's only NBA neophyte last season, and his nickname, “Rook',” was a constant reminder of his status.

The Hawks need Teague to mature fast. Drew has indicated Teague will be given a chance to unseat point-guard incumbent Mike Bibby, but Teague has work to do.

“He’s got to earn that,” Drew said. “It’s not just going to be handed to him.”

In preparation for the season, Teague participated in the Las Vegas Summer League in July and also an August camp in that city run by Nuggets assistant coach Tim Grgurich. Teague said he spent most of the rest of the summer in Atlanta working out.

In the weight room, he focused on building his leg strength so he can be more effective on defense -- he said he's up to 186 pounds after being listed at 180 last season. Teague also worked on his jump shot with Hawks assistant Lester Conner in an effort to shore up a weakness in his game.

Teague's improvement is key for the Hawks and also for his career. This is Teague's chance to establish himself as a rising young player.

“If you want to play in this league, when you get the opportunity you’ve got to take advantage of it,” he said. “I think what gives me an advantage is we have a lot of good players here who are going to help me along the way.”

That process started even before camp, when Johnson let Teague know the Hawks need him to run the show.

“I think he is going to be good,” Johnson said. “Last year was a learning experience. The point-guard position is the toughest position to come into the league and try to play. He had his ups and downs last year, but this year I think he will be a lot better.”