Jeff Teague is an “older guy” now.
With the new label comes increased responsibility for the Hawks’ starting point guard. Entering his sixth NBA season, he once again has been handed the keys and asked to lead the offense and defense.
There are expectations for the Hawks. This is their second season under the guidance of the system and principles of coach Mike Budenholzer. Growth is expected for a franchise that pushed the top-seeded Pacers to a seventh and deciding game before it was hit with the reality of another early playoff exit last season. This is a franchise that has reached the postseason seven consecutive years, the best current streak in the Eastern Conference, yet has failed to advance past the second round. A lot of that expectation falls on the shoulders of Teague. It comes with the position.
“There is a lot of positive to build off last year but probably his consistency,” Budenholzer said when asked what improvements he wanted to see in Teague during the offseason. “He is such an important part of, offensively and defensively, setting the tone. So the pace that he plays on the court has a big impact, not just on him individually but on the whole group. I think he took some big steps in that direction. Big-picture wise, I think he knows how important that is to me and us.”
According to Teague, Budenholzer asked for two main things this summer. He wanted to see him finish his cuts on offense and to become a more vocal leader. The latter is especially important. After years of being tutored by Mike Bibby, Al Horford, Josh Smith and Kirk Hinrich, as named by Teague, it is now his turn.
He said he will never be a “rah-rah” guy. Yet he knows he must pull younger players aside, such as Dennis Schroder, to impart the wisdom of where to be on the court in certain situations or how to run specific offensive sets.
“It’s a lot easier knowing where to go,” Teague said of being a leader after the initial season under Budenholzer. “We all know, those of us who have been here, what it takes to be successful. We got a little taste of it last year. We are just excited about this year.”
That doesn’t mean yelling and screaming — not for Teague nor Budenholzer.
“There are opportunities, especially for the point guards, to take command of what we are doing offensively,” Budenholzer said. “They can really help the group get into things and understand what reads and reactions there are. If he is more verbal, I think everybody gets on the same page at an even higher level. That is something that is important to us and he is working on. …
“But I’m not a big believer to necessarily yell at guys. There are lots of different ways to lead and be vocal. I want him to be more of those things and in his own way and his own place.”
Teague has given the Hawks reason to be encouraged with his play on the court. Teague so bested point guard George Hill in the playoffs last season that the Pacers assigned best defender Paul George to try to slow him down.
Last regular season, Teague averaged 16.5 points which marked the fourth consecutive season his increased his total. He also finished with 6.7 assists, ninth in the NBA, and a career-best 2.6 rebounds. In his 79 games, he led the Hawks in assists 55 times, scoring 23 times and rebounding once.
Teague said he sees the potential of the Hawks this season, especially with a healthy Horford.
“Now, it’s just about capitalizing on the opportunities we have,” Teague said. “There were a lot of games (last season) that we had that we let slip away in the fourth quarter. We have to do a lot better at finishing this season.
“Our team is really better this year. We have a lot of great guys coming off the bench who could play starting minutes on a lot of teams. That is the beauty of our team. They are building something special here. Having 10, 12 guys who can all play and contribute is huge.”
