National Basketball Association

Jeff Teague Shows Positives and Negatives In Season Debut for Pacers

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Jeff Teague got off to a solid start in his Indiana Pacers career during a 130-121 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Jeff Teague and the Indiana Pacers got their season started off with a win, and the starting point guard showed what the team missed at that position in recent years.

Teague finished with 20 points and 8 assists while shooting 5 of 15 from the field and 10 of 13 from the free-throw line.

Here’s some of the good and some of the bad from Teague in the season opener:

 Aggressiveness

Teague was aggressive early and was in attack mode as he got a couple steals, ran in the open court, and set up his teammates. Teague wasn’t shy about getting in the paint later in the game, too.

He shot 13 free throws, making 10 of them. Teague also tied with the Mavericks’ Wesley Matthews for recording the most fouls drawn with 8. It’s always nice to see Jeff in attack mode. Some bunnies were missed, but he’ll make those more often than not.

Passion

You always like to see your players express passion on the court. Teague was clearly hyped up to play in front of his friends and family at home in Indiana. He was yelling and getting the crowd excited very early in the game.

He also shared some moments with his teammates, like when Myles Turner hit a clutch three-pointer in overtime.

Play-making

Jeff ran a lot of the offense for the Pacers during the game. He did a good job at getting his teammates involved while looking for his own shot.

He finished with 8 assists, and 3 turnovers.

Plus-Minus

Unfortunately, Teague was the only starter to post a negative plus-minus rating with a -4. In comparison, Turner led the way for the starters with a +25. If you’re a believer in the plus-minus stat like I am, it’s worth paying attention to in the long-term.

Defense

At times, Teague had some very rough instances on the defensive end. J.J. Barea (and Deron Williams) were reeking havoc all night long. He got whatever he wanted, especially in the pick-and-roll. Teague is one of the fastest guys in the league, but Barea is really fast himself. It’s tough for anyone to stay in front of him.

Three-Point Shooting

Teague missed on all three of his three-point attempts. He shot 40.0% from three last season with the Atlanta Hawks, so it would be great if he could replicate that number this season. He’s got a pretty smooth stroke and is a confident player, so I expect him to bounce back in this category.

Overall, Teague was solid, and his play can be even better.

The Pacers play the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center tonight at 7:30 p.m.

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