Indiana Pacers

Jeff Teague Is Playing Big Time Basketball for the Indiana Pacers

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:11 p.m. ET

Fansided, Josh Padmore/FanSided via 8 Points, 9 Seconds

Jeff Teague’s sluggish start to the season for the Indiana Pacers is now a distant memory.

Jeff Teague got off to a bad start this season with the Indiana Pacers. It was ugly.

In fact, he even had a game early on against the Chicago Bulls in which he didn’t even score a point. Teague also shot below 40% from the field in six of his first seven games.

Thankfully for his new team, Teague is making up for that horrific start. He’s playing inspired basketball. Over his last four games, Teague is averaging 20 points, 10 assists, and 6.5 rebounds a game.

Those are some big numbers. What’s even more impressive about it is the fact that he’s doing this without the three-point shot. It’s not falling for him this season, and he’s only made one through those four games.

Teague is really just controlling the game right now. He’s using his ridiculous speed to his advantage. Jamal Crawford, who is now playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, had something to say about Teague when they were teammates together in Atlanta back in 2009.

“Speed kills,” Crawford said of Teague. “I tell him that every day. He’s going to be really good.”

The veteran Crawford was right. Teague is right up there with guys like John Wall and Russell Westbrook for the fastest players in the NBA. Teague uses that speed to get in the paint and make plays, which is something Larry Bird wanted.

When Jeff Teague was an All-Star in 2015, it was primarily due to team success. The Atlanta Hawks won 60 games that year. When you compare his numbers that year to this year, there isn’t a huge difference.

2014-2015

15.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 7.0 APG, 1.7 SPG. Shooting percentages of 46.0% from the field and 34.3% from deep.

2016-2017

15.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 7.3 APG, 1.9 SPG. Shooting percentages of 42.3% from the field and 28.9% from deep.

The efficiency is really the biggest difference between these numbers. It will be a lot harder for Teague to become a two-time All-Star because the Indiana Pacers aren’t having the success the Hawks had two years ago.

The Pacers are currently sitting .500. They’re going to need this continued play from their point guard if they want to win games, especially on the road.