Hawks' Teague set stage for strong start with comments in summer videos
ATLANTA -- Jeff Teague was at home one day with his friends when one grabbed a camera, pointed it at him and said "Let me just record something," the Hawks point guard recalled.
The two-part 'Teague Chronicles' would provide some of the deepest insight into a player who is known for being laid back and quiet.
"I know I don't talk a lot," Teague said. "I'm not very vocal, so I just wanted to open up a little bit."
He's been doing that on the court in this young season, averaging a career-high 7.8 assists, along with 15.7 points, and Teague's 17.7 PER is also his best ever.
But in the conversation of top PGs, he is still viewed as a world away from the likes Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, Chris Paul, Tony Parker, Derrick Rose, and Russell Westbrook.
Joining that upper echelon means dominating showdowns against them. He didn't get that done last week against the Spurs' Tony Parker, who had 17 points to Teague's five (though they did both have seven assists). He'll get another shot at a top-tier PG this Saturday as the Hawks take on the Cavaliers and Kyrie Irving.
But back to the 'Teague Chronicles,' where one thing is abundantly clear: six years into his NBA career, this is a man still playing with a chip on his shoulder. It's the same one the Indianapolis product carried from being overlooked by AAU teams until his senior year and winding up at Wake Forest as other major programs passed on him.
"Yeah, still to this day," he said. "That's just something that's on me."
Or as he said in far greater detail on that subject and his place in the game in the 'Chronicles:'
"I've been under the radar since high school, college ... you know what I mean?" he said. "I love that, because I see some of these people getting big contracts and getting these big things and doing things that I do, but getting bigger money for it. It makes me want to go harder."
"I watch everybody's highlight tapes. I watch Damian Lillard, I watch Nate (Robinson), I watch all them dudes highlight tapes and they go hard. I respect them. But I go hard too and I ain't scared of none of them.
"When I go on the court, I know I play for my city. I respect everybody's game and I don't knock no one's hustle, but they're going to learn to respect Jeff Teague."
Those words, spoken this offseason, have set the stage for a more self-assured Teague, especially when it comes to his perimeter shooting. He currently has a 43.2 shooting percentage and is at 30 percent from three-point range, but he's shooting with a different mindset and it hasn't been lost on coach Mike Budenholzer, who has seen it translate to all facets of his point guard's game.
"I think there's confidence in his shot. I think there's confidence in everything he's doing," he said. "His activity against Indiana defensively was great and I think he's more comfortable kind of leading and generating our offense."
"Playoff Teague" came from his ability to, as the moniker insinuates, to turn up his production once the postseason starts. That persona was on full display last season in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals when he hit an off-balance, one-handed three, shrugging his shoulders as he helped put Atlanta up 2-1 on the Pacers.
During that series, Teague averaged 19.3 points after a 16.5 ppg regular season. But, the critics would say, we've seen this before. It's a sentiment that was on Teague's mind as he opened up the 'Chronicles.'
"They call me 'Playoff Teague,' so I plan to take 'Playoff Teague' to this next season," he said. "That was fun, but that was nothing."
So far, he seems to be following through on those inner thoughts logged on that video diary with is play, even if the public persona remains a quiet one.
"He's just playing basketball," Budenholzer said "He's so talented that when he's comfortable and confident then he can be very good, including finishing and shooting, everything."
